


What The Future Holds

by Anorlost



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Hux is not ready to be a parent, Kid Fic, M/M, Time Travel, alternate universe character death, space family au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-01-30 07:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12648885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anorlost/pseuds/Anorlost
Summary: “Hux, this is my son,” said Kylo, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder.“I can see that,” said Hux, unlocking his jaw long enough to speak and trying not to sound invested in the conversation.  “I ought to have known that you had an illegitimate child somewhere.”“He’s your son too,” added Kylo.Based on 7porgs Space-Family AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



This wasn’t the first mission Kylo had been sent on to investigate Force-sensitives.  Most were only vaguely aware of their powers, barely able to wiggle a small object and just empathic enough to read someone slightly better than a Force-null.  They were found and monitored, in case any of them became too powerful and refused to join the Order.  Fortunately, it hadn’t come to that, yet. 

He could sense someone nearby on the planet and they were much more powerful than any of the others that Kylo had sought out.  Their raw power was impressive, enough to begin training if they wanted it, and enough to cause some trouble if they were hostile. 

It didn’t take long for Kylo to figure he was close enough.  He landed, and he could sense the being coming closer.  It was then he noticed that there wasn’t one, but two.  One weaker and one stronger.  He reached out to them with the Force and rather than retreating, their energy greeted his with relief and excitement.  They were happy he was here.  They wanted to leave with him. 

Kylo was taken aback by how eagerly they responded to him.  They seemed to be expecting him, longing for him, and Kylo had never felt anything like it before.  His own mother had never let her energy greet him with such overwhelming need for him. 

Were they in trouble?  Kylo felt they must be, eagerly awaiting their rescuer.  He left the command shuttle behind and went to look for the two, knowing they were nearby, but wanting to see who they were and confirm that they were alright.  He obviously didn’t have to fear an attack.  The two were unabashedly eager to see him, calling and reaching out to him with their thoughts and feelings. 

He caught sight of them as one of them came running over the hill up ahead.  It was a boy, wearing a bundle across his front and came towards Kylo as fast as he could.  He looked up, relieved and excited all at once to see him because… 

Kylo caught his thoughts.  They were audacious, ridiculous, surely not to be believed, but he could sense that it was the truth.  More than that, the boy’s face was proof of his unspoken claim.  The boy panted, suddenly stopping as fear of rejection and disbelief gripped him.  He stopped a few feet from Kylo, his dark brown curls tossed and disheveled and his green eyes shining with tears of exhaustion and relief.  When he stopped moving, the bundle stirred.  Kylo heard an infant beginning to whimper and knew he’d found the second. 

The boy looked up at him, his mouth opening and closing before hanging open uselessly, unable to begin explaining what had happened to him. 

Kylo held out a hand, “You don’t need to explain.  Come with me, I’ll take you home.” 

   *** 

They kept secrets from each other, Hux knew that, but this was something entirely unexpected. 

Ren returned from his latest mission, investigating the sudden appearance of a powerful Force-sensitive being, and he wasn’t alone.  He’d found the being and brought it with him, and it wasn’t what Hux had been expecting at all.  A child.  Two children, upon further inspection.  The older of the two appeared to be about eleven or twelve, and was… there was no getting around it, he looked almost exactly like Kylo.  His face was flecked with moles and his dark, wavy hair threatened to reach his shoulders.  His eyes were slightly different, green instead of brown, but the rest of his features were like a copy of the knight of Ren.  Large lips, a long, slightly crooked nose and big ears gave Hux a sinking feeling in his stomach. 

A sling hung from the boy’s shoulder, and inside was another child, just a baby from the look of it.  So Ren had two children.  They were obviously his.  There was no way a Force-sensitive child who looked so much like Kylo could have been fathered by anyone else, and it was only logical to assume that the baby was the boy’s sibling. 

Hux gritted his teeth behind his lips as Kylo approached, trailing behind the boy.  They had never discussed their former lovers, or current ones as the case seemed to be, opting to only disclose that they were both free from sexually transmitted diseases.  They weren’t at the age where it was common to have their firsts, and Hux wasn’t naïve enough to think Kylo didn’t have any previous partners.  However, since Ren had never mentioned anyone Hux had assumed that he was the only one who the knight was intimate with at that time. 

Obviously he hadn’t been.  Kylo had someone on the side.  Someone he’d started a family with… 

Not bothering with his mask was something Hux wished the knight hadn’t done.  He hated how he could see just how impartial Kylo seemed to the whole thing.  Hux supposed that what they did together was meant to be a meaningless diversion, but this bothered him.  He couldn’t figure out why; this just stung, a lot. 

“Hux, this is my son,” said Kylo, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. 

“I can see that,” said Hux, unlocking his jaw long enough to speak and trying not to sound invested in the conversation.  “I ought to have known that you had an illegitimate child somewhere.” 

“He’s your son too,” added Kylo. 

Hux looked down with the boy.  He seemed to be wanting to say something with the way his mouth hung open and he backed up against his father.  He wasn’t denying his father’s ridiculous story.  Armitage Hux had no children.  None of his previous partners were women, and he was certain he would have notice if someone had stolen his DNA to experiment on.  If this was Kylo’s way of saying that his girlfriend had dumped his children on him and now expected Hux to help raise them, it wasn’t going to end well. 

“Why don’t we speak about this plainly, in private,” said Hux, trying not to glare down on the children.  It wasn’t their fault that their father had them out of wedlock and then gallivanted off to space.  If the boy was about eleven or twelve that would have meant that Kylo conceived him when he himself was in his teens.  It seemed all the stories about degenerate New Republican youths were shaping up to be true. 

“If you like,” conceded Kylo, and patting the boy on the shoulder whispered, “Come on Archie.” 

Walking through the halls it was everything Hux could do not to lose his temper.  He tried to remind himself that the children weren’t at fault for their father.  If he was going to be angry with Kylo than he would do it while he had the man alone.  One thing was certain, he wasn’t raising Ren’s children for him.  If the knight wanted someone else to raise them so badly, they could be raised alongside the rest of the Order’s children. 

Upon reaching his quarters, Hux ushered them inside.  The children had been seen the moment they stepped off the shuttle, there was no sense hiding them or pretending they weren’t related to Kylo.  Hux watched as the boy, Archie, made a beeline for his ice blue couch, as if it were familiar to him, and settled down, carefully removing the sling and settling his younger sibling in his lap.  Finally getting a good look at the infant, Hux could see she had wisps of golden hair growing in. 

Turning his attention back to Kylo he declared, “I’m not raising your children for you.” 

“Hux-” Kylo began. 

“If you wanted me to be involved with them then you ought to have mentioned them before.  I don’t have the time or energy to devote to them,” said Hux firmly. 

“Hux, they’re yours,” Kylo countered. 

“No, they’re _yours_.  Spending the odd night together doesn’t mean anything,” argued Hux.  He leaned in and added with a growl, “And if you wanted it to mean something, this is the worst way to broach the topic.” 

“You aren’t listening.  They’re.  Yours.” 

Hux crossed his arms and glared up at Kylo, “Are they now?” 

Kylo looked at the boy, “Archie, tell him what you told me, it’s alright.” 

The boy looked over the back of the couch towards them.  He floundered for a moment, looking for somewhere to put his brother or sister.  Eventually he decided to carry his younger sibling with him, jogging over to Kylo’s side.  Hux didn’t like the way the boy looked at him.  He seemed… pitying.  He was upset, but upset for Hux, rather than with him. 

The boy took a breath and said, “I’m not from your timeline.” 

Hux glared at Kylo, “Did you tell him to say that?” 

“Hux, he’s telling the truth.  I can sense whether or not someone is lying and he’s being honest with us,” argued Kylo, “He’s ours.” 

Hux crossed his arms and looked down at the boy, “Alright, then explain how you traveled through time to me.” 

He seemed to catch the boy in his lie as Archie replied, “I… I can’t.  I didn’t do it, Mebh did.” 

“The infant?” Hux guessed. 

Archie shrank back again, “She used so much of her power that we… it all happened so fast.  We changed.” 

Kylo let the boy hide behind him, but crouched to take the baby from him.  Hux kept his arms crossed, glaring at Kylo.  Not only had the knight kept an illegitimate family hidden, he was forcing a child to lie for him. 

“Did you have to bring them here?  This ship isn’t a playground,” said Hux.  He kept his eyes fixed on Kylo, “I want the truth.  So who is the unfortunate mother?” 

“I suspect you are,” Kylo countered. 

“That isn’t funny!” snapped Hux. 

“I agree,” said Kylo, pulling the sling away from the baby’s face, “But this one thinks otherwise.” 

Hux felt as if he might faint.  He had seen pictures of himself as a child and this infant looked… she looked exactly like him!  Not just the red-gold colour of her hair, but her freckles, the shape of her nose, and the arch of her brow.  The only feature that didn’t mirror his own were her eyes.  Those were a dark brown, just like Ren’s. 

She looked at him and smiled, recognizing him immediately.  Hux felt himself freeze as she let out a soft, gurgling, “Ma!” 

For once, Hux found himself too shocked to speak. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for Hux being mean in this chapter. 
> 
> Also, Mebh is pronounced May-vh Or like the English Maeve.

Kylo took his new charges in stride, albeit silently.  He and Archie would stare at each other for hours on end, neither of them speaking a word, with the boy only occasionally displaying emotions.  At one point he seemed close to tears and at one point he was almost ready to laugh.  Mebh was much the same, though as an infant she had the excuse of not being able to form proper words yet.  She usually grunted if she wanted food or attention, but when she needed to be changed she started howling. 

Or rather, she started howling when she was being changed.  Hux watched quietly as Mebh began sniffling dejectedly and Kylo announced that she needed to be changed.  That was when the baby started crying and screaming.  Kylo took her into the bedroom and the screaming got worse.  Hux looked in briefly to make sure Kylo put something over the bed before he used it as a changing table, but curiously instead of being relieved, Mebh only seemed be become more dismayed after her diaper had been changed. 

“She’s embarrassed, and she can’t communicate so she’s stressed,” Kylo tried to explain to Hux over the sound of Mebh screaming and sobbing into his shoulder. 

“She’s barely a year old, she doesn’t know what embarrassment is!” Hux snapped, tempted to cover his ears with his hands at the ear-splitting sound of a particularly high-pitched scream. 

“No, she’s older, she’s just stuck like that,” Archie corrected, clinging to his father as if his proximity might help Mebh. 

So they were still sticking to their ridiculous time-travel story.  For Kylo to lie was one thing, but the boy whole-heartedly believed it.  Hux understood the importance of training children at a young age, but he was against teaching them anything that was absurd or contrary to reality.  He could only imagine what Kylo must have done to convince the boy that he was from an alternate timeline in the future and his infant sister had the power to send them across time and dimensions. 

Mebh wouldn’t stop crying.  Kylo looked at him desperately, “Will you hold her?” 

“No,” replied Hux flatly. 

Mebh let out a scream that forced Hux to finally cover his ears.  Resemblance aside, there was no proof for Mebh being related to him in any way.  He had no obligation to care for this child that Kylo was attempting to force on him.  Mebh wasn’t his.  Archie wasn’t his.  Hux trusted the facts alone, and those were that time-travel was fictional, he’d never willfully given his DNA for the purposes of engineering children, and even if he had, he had only known Ren for a few years, making Archie far too old to be related to him genetically.  There was a slight case to be made for Mebh, but if she was his, then it meant Ren had stolen his DNA and created this child without his knowledge, something that was even more despicable than the time-travel farce. 

“Hux, could you please just hold her!” snapped Kylo. 

“Why should I!?” Hux snapped back, digging his heels in and preparing for a fight, “She’s nothing to do with me!  Just lie her down, let her cry her fill and let a droid take her until she stops.” 

Kylo shrank back at the suggestion of a nanny-droid.  There was nothing wrong with them.  Hux himself had practically been raised by one single-handedly and he turned out fine… or at least well-balanced. 

“She wants _you_!” insisted Archie. 

“She barely knows me.  She hasn’t even developed object-permanence,” Hux balked, “I’m leaving, and when I come back, you and your brood will be gone.  Are we clear, Ren?” 

“We’ll go, _if_ you take Mebh for a while,” countered Ren. 

Hux ground his teeth.  So if he didn’t take her, Ren and his illegitimate children would make their home in his quarters.  He couldn’t have that.  If all it took to be rid of them was a few minutes holding a screaming brat then he supposed it was what needed to be done.  Hux marched over and pulled the baby off of Kylo, getting an earful of hiccupping sobs. 

Mebh was really a pathetic creature.  She was small and helpless as all babies were, but those were qualities that Hux strived to distance himself from.  The little girl screamed and wailed out her frustrations, which Hux refused to believe was embarrassment.  It took a few minutes, but Mebh either sorted herself out or became too tired to scream and cry anymore.  When she was finished, Hux handed her back to Kylo, “Satisfied?” 

Snapping out of whatever sleepy state Mebh had put herself in, she began reaching for him, letting out soft, infantile calls, “Ma!  Ma!” 

“You should stay,” said Kylo. 

“I have a shift, which I’m now late for.  Take your brood and leave.  I don’t want to see any of you again outside of a professional capacity,” said Hux. 

“Hux…” Kylo began. 

“This little joke of yours has gone too far!  Keeping your children a secret was deceitful enough, but feeding them outrageous lies, dragging them here and expecting me to shoulder responsibility for them is absolutely reprehensible!  And if that one is mine…” said Hux, pointing at Mebh, “Then you used- no, stole part of me to make her!  I absolutely will not tolerate your presence for a moment longer than necessary.  Goodbye Ren, and be sure you’re gone by the time my shift is finished.” 

“It’s a lot to take in and a lot to expect you to believe since you can’t use the-” Ren began. 

“No!” Hux interrupted, “No more games, no more lies.  Goodbye.” 

   ***

After his shift, Hux couldn’t help lightly massaging at his temples.  He hoped they were gone.  He hoped Ren wasn’t going to use those children as a tool in this bizarre fight that had sprung up between them.  At this point though he really wouldn’t have put it past the knight to try to guilt-trip him with stories about how much the children wanted to see him.  Especially Mebh… 

The boy, Archie only had a passing resemblance to him.  Though it was difficult to convince himself that he wasn’t seeing his eyes one someone else’s face, the boy’s resemblance to Ren was enough to convince Hux that perhaps he had no relation to the boy.  Mebh though, Mebh bore more than a passing resemblance.  During a short break on his shift he’d gone to the archives, looking at his academy photos.  Mebh looked exactly like a younger version of himself.  There was absolutely no denying it.  Mebh was his, and that could only mean that Ren had done something absolutely heinous to make her. 

What Hux had difficulty understanding though was why Ren would feed Archie such a strange story, one he would have to know that Hux wouldn’t have believed for a moment.  He could have just said that Hux was Mebh’s father and been done with it, but he seemed to want Archie to have an attachment to him as well.  Whatever the case, the child had to have been brainwashed by the knight’s power to believe that lie. 

It also didn’t explain how Archie had the same eyes.  To Hux’s knowledge, if he and Ren did have children, Ren’s dominant, brown-eyed gene ought to have had a larger chance of influencing colour.  The resemblance didn’t stop there though; the shape was the same as Hux’s own eyes.  If not for that one detail, he could say with utmost certainty that Archie wasn’t his. 

It wouldn’t have made sense though.  Hux had been working with Ren for a few scant years.  Archie was far too old to have been conceived when they’d just met.  Ren would have had to have gotten a hold of Hux’s genetic information while he was barely out of the Academy.  It was impossible, but Hux was having a very difficult time dismissing his own first-hand observations. 

As if his headache hadn’t been bad enough, he spotted the boy skulking in the officer’s wing.  Hux scowled down at him, “When I said, ‘go away,’ this wasn’t what I meant.” 

The boy stood his ground, looking up at Hux, but didn’t seem to be able to make words come.  After a few painful moments under Hux’s unrelenting glare he stammered out, “You… you g-gave Mebh a hug… so I just thought you might…” 

“Did Ren send you to say that?” demanded Hux. 

“N-no.  To tell you the truth m- sir, I snuck out.  He doesn’t know I’m here now,” explained Archie. 

Either the boy shared Ren’s penchant for lying or his penchant for rule-breaking.  In any case, Hux wasn’t impressed.  He glowered down at the boy and spoke lowly, “I’m NOT your parent, and I will not hold you.” 

“Why do you hate me?” protested Archie, “I didn’t do anything.” 

The words stung a bit.  Hux didn’t hate the boy; Archie was just as much a victim in this as anyone.  He wasn’t going to let that get in the way of things though.  Ren had done something awful, he’d proven himself a threat, and allowing the boy into his life could give Ren an opening that Hux didn’t want exploited.  He bore the boy no ill-will, but he needed to do what was necessary to protect himself from Ren. 

“Because you look exactly like him, but you have my eyes.  It’s infuriating!” snapped Hux. 

Both his tone and harsh words caused the boy to start shaking and crying.  Tears had barely started to run down his cheeks when Archie turned and ran off.  It was for the best, Hux told himself.  It was better if the boy had no interest in him. 

The door to one of the quarters opened and Phasma stuck her helmeted head out into the halls, watching Archie run away.  She huffed and marveled, “Wow, you really are a monster.” 

With his headache now feeling like it was cleaving his head in two, Hux couldn’t help exclaiming a most impropritous, “Would you shut up?!” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slightly less of a jerk Hux and useless parent Kylo Ren

Hux regretted his actions, but he knew it was the course he needed to take.  Ren was dangerous.  Ren took something from him without consent and did something heinous.  It was the only explanation for Mebh’s existence.  If he got close to the children, Ren could use them to get to him.  For now, he had to focus on running his ship and keeping himself safe. 

And for the moment, that meant obsessively cleaning his hair and toothbrushes, making sure anything that his hair and skin came in contact with was sterile so nobody could take his DNA unless they took it off his person.  He went through his rooms and then sent several droids through.  When they were finished he did one last sweep himself, and then felt better.  Even if Ren snuck in, or had Archie sneak in for him, he wouldn’t be able to find or take anything. 

He felt better when it was all over, a little more secure.  From that point on, things returned to normal.  He saw to his own affairs and Ren saw to his, the exact way they had done before.  Hux never saw Ren or the children, which was for the best. 

The strange lapse in Ren’s logic concerned him though.  Hux knew Ren didn’t think he was stupid, and wouldn’t have used such a flimsy lie.  It couldn’t have been the truth either because time travel was impossible.  Archie couldn’t explain it, saying that his infant sister had done it.  The boy’s sincerity was troubling, as he truly seemed to believe that his sister had shot him back through time.  Hux humoured their story and read a few journals on the subject, but they all came to the same conclusion.  It was impossible to travel back in time. 

Archie couldn’t be his.  Ren couldn’t have gotten his genetic material at the time when the boy would have been conceived.  There was a high likelihood that Mebh was his though.  With that being the case he ought to take some responsibility for her, at least enough to get her away from someone as despicable as Kylo Ren.  He also ought to look into finding a more suitable guardian for Archie, someone who wouldn’t make the boy lie or warp his mind into believing impossible things. 

Within a few days of his dismissal of Ren, they had a meeting together.  It was unavoidable Hux supposed, with both of them sharing command of the ship.  He sat through it, setting his face like stone and refusing to show any emotion.  When everyone else was dismissed, Ren lingered.  It was obvious he wanted to talk. 

Hux didn’t though.  He rose from his chair and attempted to leave along with his officers. 

“He only wanted a hug, you know,” said Ren accusingly. 

“You will not use that child against me,” growled Hux.  He turned and shut the door, sealing himself in the meeting room alone with Ren. 

“I’m not.  Look, I gave you a few days to cool off.  I know this is something that’s beyond your senses, I know it doesn’t make any sense, but we’re telling the truth,” insisted Ren. 

The words ‘beyond your senses’ were particularly irksome, and Hux found he couldn’t ignore them.  He ground his teeth and demanded, “You will stop lying this instant.” 

“Alright, we’ll do this your way.  I think we both know that having Archie do some tests would prove everything’s real.  If he’s yours and mine, you know they only way for that to make sense is if he’s telling the truth,” reasoned the knight, “In the meantime, you don’t have to be cruel to them.” 

“I’m not being cruel, I’m trying not to get their hopes up,” replied Hux, “I wasn’t given a choice in any of this.  I never chose to have these children, ergo I shouldn’t be responsible for them.” 

“But what if they’re yours?” asked Ren, “I didn’t ask to become a parent either.” 

Hux’s blood boiled at the insinuation that Ren was a better person for taking the children in when Hux refused.  It boiled more when he couldn’t exactly deny it.  Ren had been taking care of the children for days.  But they were his children!  That would be like praising a helmsman for steering a ship!  That was his duty, he didn’t need praise for performing it.  The children weren’t Hux’s, but if they were, if somehow he had children who belonged to him dropped into his life… 

He didn’t have much parenting experience to go on.  He’d been raised by droids, and then placed in a junior training program as soon as he was old enough.  He’d been taken from his biological mother, his step-mother had treated him like a prop to be used on special occasions and put away when she was finished.  His father…he was better off not thinking about.  The point was, he’d probably have a droid look after them.  Droids had really been the best parents Hux had ever known. 

“Look, this is… it’s terrifying,” said Ren, “One second I only have to look out for myself, and the next I have these two little beings depending on me for everything.  No nine month warning, they just suddenly appeared and-” The knight signed and muttered, “I can’t do it alone.  I thought I could and then rub it in your face, but I can’t.” 

Hux arched his brow, “What do you mean you can’t?  We have droids for that.” 

“I’m not using droids!” insisted Ren.  He began pacing the room as he raved, “Mebh doesn’t stop crying, and when she’s not miserable she’s angry.  Archie won’t stay in his room no matter how much I tell him to!  I even tried grounding him!  I can’t find anything for them to do so they’re just stuck in my quarters!  And when I do find something it’s never something that they like!  I just can’t do anything right!” 

Hux didn’t even flinch when Ren flipped a chair over in frustration.  Instead he asked, “You were seriously going to be a good father just to _spite_ me?” 

“Well, yeah, I _was_ ,” admitted Ren, “But it’s not working so…if they’re yours, will you help? At least assign a human babysitter to look after them?  I really don’t think a droid would be good for them.”

Whatever Ren’s issue with droids was, Hux didn’t understand it.  Droids were probably better than humans when it came to looking after children.  They could be set to routines for older ones and programmed to respond to the younger ones, like Mebh, who could only communicate needs by screaming in distress.    

“On top of that, they need clothes, they didn’t bring any.  Mebh needs diapers and I’m not sure where to get them so we’ve been…improvising, with mixed results,” admitted Ren. 

Hux’s brow shot up at that, “You’ve been _improvising_ diapers!?” 

“We don’t have any on the ship!” protested Ren. 

“Yes we do!  Ren, this isn’t just a war ship!  There are… kriff, give me a few hours, I’ll get some for you,” said Hux, clasping his hand over his forehead and rubbing at his temples. 

Through his fingers, Hux could see Ren’s body visibly relax at the promise of diapers.  That seemed to have been a particular weight on his shoulders.  Hux added, “Clothes for the boy shouldn’t be an issue, though chances are he’ll have to wear a cadet uniform at some point.  Those account for most of the children’s clothing we have on board.” 

“It could be a pink ewok outfit for all I care, so long as it’s clean.  My quarters are really starting to smell…” 

He trailed off, looking over at Hux before he said, “When it came to… us, before this, I felt the same as you.  I thought what we had was fun, but I didn’t think it would be a long term thing.  It seems at some point though, that changes.  We’ll want to stay together and have a family.  Has it ever crossed your mind at all?” 

Hux replied honestly, “Not with you, but yes, I’ve thought about it.  Perhaps when I’m older, when our position in the galaxy is more secure, I might have time for a family.” 

It was what officers did when they got older after all.  It was a milestone that he supposed everyone was obligated to hit.  By a certain age he owed it to the Order to have children. 

“I never thought about it.  I was raised thinking I might have to be celibate, and since I joined your side I haven’t had a lot of time to meet anyone I really liked so I sort of assumed I’d just…never meet anyone I’d want to marry,” admitted the knight. 

So Ren was a romantic when it came to relationships.  It was a touch surprising, but less so given how emotional he was. 

Hux sighed through his nose, “I will help ensure you don’t accidentally murder those poor children, but that’s all.  Ren, springing this on me wasn’t right of you.” 

“It was sprung on me too you know,” the knight muttered, “And I know what you think I did.  If I was in your position I’d think the same thing, do what I could to stay safe, and I’d hate me too.  I don’t blame you, it’s just… frustrating that you can’t seem to understand what I can.” 

“Ren, I can’t handle this right now.  Give me a few hours to scrounge supplies for you, and then I expect you to give me ample space,” ordered Hux. 

The knight sighed, “I guess that’s an improvement over never seeing you again.” 

   ***  

As promised, Hux spent the next few hours finding childcare supplies.  He exchanged a few brief messages with Ren to figure out what the knight had managed to provide.  Apparently food was no issue, since Stormtrooper rations were easy enough for babies to eat, and he’d gotten an extra bed for the children, though they refused to use it, opting to sleep with him instead. 

That meant that they more or less needed everything.  Extra towels for bathing, clothing for both of them and diapers for Mebh.  They also needed something to occupy themselves with so Archie would stop breaking out and running amuck.  An extra datapad loaded with educational games and books ought to be more than enough, and Mebh would require soft toys so she could develop her motor skills without hurting herself.  Mebh might need special soap that would be gentler on her skin, and perhaps he ought to get Archie security clearance for the training room so he could exercise instead of being shut up all day in a small room. 

He gathered his supplies, ignoring the looks he received.  It was odd for General Hux to take such a vested interest in two children, but upon hearing the supplies were for children living with Lord Ren, disapproval turned to fear and Hux was assured everything would be delivered promptly. 

Just to make sure that his promise was kept, Hux arranged to walk past Ren’s quarters.  He saw a few parcels outside and nodded to himself.  Good.  That was finished.  As he moved past the door, he heard them open and suppressed a groan.  He’d forgotten that Archie had Ren’s powers as well as his looks…  The doors closed and he heard a few padding steps and smelled week-old unwashed clothing. 

Hux turned and asked, “What do you want?” 

Archie walked up to him and raised his arms, waiting for an embrace, “It’s my birthday.  Can I get a hug?  Please?” 

His brows were furrowed with uncertainty, hardly something one would do if they were certain of their date of birth.  He looked nervous, sweating awkward, and not because he feared rejection.  He seemed to be afraid of being caught, though it was information that Hux wouldn’t be able to confirm.  Hux sighed again.  The boy was so desperate that he was willing to make up a sentimental lie to get what he wanted.  It seemed Archie had also inherited Ren’s penchant for emotional blackmail. 

“Just this once,” begged Archie, “I promise I won’t bother you anymore.” 

Hux crouched down and conceded, “Just this once, okay?  I expect you to keep your word.” 

The boy practically pounced on him, gripping him tightly around the neck.  Judging from the dampness, he had started crying again. 

“I miss you.  I miss you so much.” 

Hux didn’t have a response to that, so he said nothing, patting Archie’s back and waiting for his arms to get tired. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...TLJ through me for a loop. Still gonna update fics, but I'm not currently feeling inspired to take on new projects. I know other people feel differently (and that's fine, I'm happy that you're happy), but I'd like to ask for patience and a little understanding.
> 
> Thank you for reading and sticking with my depressed, over-thinking ass.

Hux tried not to think about the children.  He regularly sent supplies, but he wanted to stay away.  There was no reason for him to be involved in the first place.  They were Ren’s children.  What they were all saying had to be lies.  Time travel didn’t exist, which made all arguments, no matter how convincing, null and void.  He felt badly though.  The children were convinced he was their parent, and they wanted to be close to him.  They hadn’t done anything wrong. 

He tried to make up for it with the things he sent.  Not just basics, but things that he supposed children might want.  They were probably miserable with Ren anyways.  From his descriptions, Hux figured he knew nothing about raising a child, while if nothing else, designing training programs gave Hux a base knowledge of different age groups and their needs. 

It wasn’t long before Ren sent a message:  Archie was being tested, and he wanted Hux to witness the whole thing to ensure that nothing had been tampered with. 

Ren was so confident about this, but it couldn’t be true.  It didn’t make any sense at all.  Either way, some law of the universe would be bent if what Ren claimed about the children was true. 

He went to the medical bay, and as if to cement that he had not interfered at all, Ren showed up about five minutes later with the children in tow.  Mebh was attached to his chest in a proper harness, not the strip of cloth that had been serving as a sling.  Archie was wearing a cadet uniform, which was a bit jarring when paired with his long, dark hair.  It fit him though, so that was good.  He looked up at Hux for a moment before looking up at the doctor, “Do I need a needle?” 

“Just a little hair from each of you should be fine.  We’ll analyze it and in a few minutes we’ll have the results,” explained the doctor. 

“I also trust you’ll be discreet with this,” said Hux, “No matter the results.” 

The doctor gave a nervous nod before instructing, “I need to clean a section of hair from each of you.  You’ll all be given a sterilizing spray to make sure that there are no chemicals or debris.”  The doctor paused to look at Hux in particular, “Cat hair, for example.” 

He let out a slight huff at that as the doctor began handing out a tube of liquid and ties for their hair.  Kylo was first to manage to get a tie around a small lock of hair and dip it in the tube.  The doctor continued, “Yes, just like that.  We’ll wait a moment and then I’ll cut that section.” 

Archie was next as Hux struggled to get a tie around a lock of hair.  His hair was much shorter than everyone else’s, and he was certain that with the way he styled it, a missing lock was bound to be noticed.  He tried to secure some hair near the back of his neck where nobody should see.  It took more time than it did for Kylo to tie a little of Mebh’s hair, soak it in the tube, and have the doctor clip it off directly into a petri dish. 

When he finally managed to have his hair gathered, cleaned and clipped, the others had found a seat and were waiting patiently.  Hux looked about for another seat, but the only ones available were near Ren and the children.  He decided to stand, he didn’t feel like he could be near them.  Kylo was dangerous, but he couldn’t see why the children would want anything to do with him after the way he’d treated them. 

The silence was horrible, and awkward, so he took out his datapad and began to toggle through the ship’s vital functions.  They didn’t really need to be watched, but it gave him something to do. 

It was a while before the doctor came back, handing disc to Kylo and saying, “I’ll let the four of you review this in private.” 

More waiting.  Still, it was better than having an audience.  Hux replaced his datapad and asked, “Your quarters or mine?” 

“Mine are closer,” said Kylo, “Though I’m surprised you’d offer.” 

“I’m willing to temporarily lift my ban for the sake of answers,” said Hux. 

He kept pace with Kylo as Archie trotted at their heels.  It was strange, but he looked a little taller than Hux recalled.  He hadn’t seen the boy in a fair amount of time, so his eyes might have been playing tricks on him.  Children grew quickly, but not that quickly.  It might have just been the way the cadet uniform fit him, rather than the robes he had been wearing before.  From the look of his hair though, at least he was washing. 

“I’m glad you sent those diapers,” said Kylo.  He let out a slight, scoffing laugh, “Now there’s something that I never thought I’d say.” 

“Not something I thought I’d hear either,” muttered Hux. 

Kylo’s quarters were quite close to the medical bay.  Hux had never really taken notice before, but it made sense.  With the knight being closer to the line of fire than he was it made sense that he would want to be closer to the medical wing in case something went wrong. 

He had been inside Kylo’s quarters only once before, and that was when the knight was first settling into them.  When they had…private functions, Hux had insisted on his own quarters.  It had mostly been paranoia.  He’d heard about people in the academy who had brought cadets back to their quarters and had hidden cameras put in place either for their own perversions or future blackmail.  After hearing about it Hux had decided that it would be best to keep to his own territory if ever he decided to… engage. 

Entering, Hux saw that the rooms had changed a great deal since he last saw them.  It was likely due to having children about, but the black furniture and upholstery had Ren’s signature written all over it.  Personal touches like that made it almost unrecognizable. 

Wasting no time, Archie looked up at Kylo eagerly, “Can we show him now?” 

Kylo paused for a moment and handed it to Hux, “Maybe you should sit down first?” 

“I’ll be fine,” said Hux.  He pulled out his datapad once more and inserted the disc, uploading the results. 

Then he saw them. 

Armitage Hux – Archibald Hux:  100% paternity match. 

The blood fled from the tips of his fingers, weakening them to the point where he had to consciously force himself to keep his grip.  He couldn’t feel his legs and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears.  It was a match, a perfect one at that.  But that was… it was impossible!  Archie couldn’t have been more than ten and he’d only known of Kylo for five years!  Was it someone else’s doing? 

“Hux,” said Kylo firmly, “Calm down.  Archie, get him some water?” 

“It can’t be true,” Hux gasped, “It can’t.  It’s impossible.” 

Time travel was foolishness.  Who could have done this?  Perhaps…perhaps someone had noted his progress and kept some hair or blood of his on hand in case he died childless.  Then someone had decided that the best thing to do would be to cross the First Order’s best engineer with a Force-Sensitive, who showed a high correlation between mechanical aptitude and spiritual sensitivity. 

That…that…

Archie bounded up to him, beaming brightly as he practically chirped, “Mebh used the Force to send us back.  See, we’re telling the truth.” 

…was the only explanation anyone had given him so far. 

He lurched towards a black couch, “On second thought, I’ll sit…” 

“Thought you might,” said Kylo, a comment that made Hux’s ears burn with embarrassment. 

Before he could snap, he needed to sit.  He needed to figure this out.  Archie didn’t let up thought, “And now that you know, we have to tell you something really important.” 

“This wasn’t the important bit?” asked Hux, paling slightly as he tried to hold up the datapad. 

“We came back because-” Archie began. 

Kylo brushed him aside, “One life-altering revelation at a time, okay?” 

Archie looked up at Kylo pleadingly, “But he has to know!” 

“I know he does, but let’s just give him a bit more time,” said the knight.  He settled on the couch and began unclipping the harness as Mebh kicked restlessly, “Maybe first…we could make some arrangements?” 

“I don’t… what arrangements?” asked Hux.  He tried to process everything that was happening in his head, but all he kept thinking and feeling was pain, shock and anger.  He hadn’t asked for this.  He hadn’t wanted this.  And yet, here it was.  He needed to handle it but his mind was completely fogged by negative feelings. 

“If you don’t want me around, that’s fine.  It might be a bit too much too fast for both of us, but they should be allowed to visit, don’t you think?” asked Kylo. 

Hux nodded and barely mumbled, “I work so erratically…” 

“They’d send a message first,” said Kylo. 

Hux focused on breathing, trying to bring his heart rate down, “And what’s this other business?  I want to know.  Let’s just… just have it all out now.” 

Kylo sighed, “I really think that’s a bad idea.” 

“And having life changing crisies every few weeks is a good idea?” snapped Hux, “Look, just tell me everything now and then I’ll figure out how I want to handle it.” 

Sighing through his nose, Kylo nodded his head towards Hux, signaling Archie to approach.  The boy seemed to steel himself a little, hands at his side and pressing his fingers into his palms, something Hux found a little uncanny seeing someone else doing.  Archie began, “We came back because in the future, something really, really bad happens.” 

Hux nodded, “Go on.” 

“I guess you already know.  In the future, you and Dad have me and Mebh.  By that time The First Order and Resistance had more or less merged, since both sides wanted peace and similar goals.  Then…I guess things still weren’t the way people wanted because there was another uprising,” explained Archie.  His eyes started to water as he finally stammered out,

“You… you died.” 

Somehow, the knowledge didn’t bother Hux as much as he thought it would.  He would die in the future, that was inevitable.  It angered him that he died at the hands of a Resistance he’d nearly squashed, but no, he’d been done in by them.  It was a possibility that he’d always been prepared for, so perhaps that was why he didn’t mind. 

Hux nodded again, “So did you come back to see me?” 

“Yes, but that’s not all.  We’ve told dad already that after you… passed away, he wasn’t the same.  He just kept falling deeper and deeper into darkness.  In the end, there was nothing of him left.  He just became this…this monster that destroyed everything.  He was too powerful for us to stop.  It was only a matter of time before he tore apart the whole Galaxy.  The only thing left to do was to find a place he couldn’t follow and find us.  So…Mebh was the one who figured it out, and I’m not sure how, but she did it.  Somehow it made us like this too.  I’m actually about ten years older,” explained Archie.  He stammered slightly, “And…and that’s it.  I’m…I’m not sure what we’re going to do now.  But we got away, and now we’ve found you both again.”  

It was somehow fitting that Ren destroyed the Galaxy in a massive tantrum.  What surprised him was that Ren could possibly have an emotional response like that to his death.  They used each other, both professionally and physically, each to their own ends, and they both knew it.  They’d never pretended they were anything more than rivals or deluded themselves into thinking their occasional trysts were anything more than letting out frustrations and hormones. 

And yet, here were their children from the future.  The results were conclusive.  They were telling the truth. 

“I’d…like to go lie down and think,” said Hux. 

“Can I come?” asked Archie eagerly, “I’ll be quiet.  And I can help you if you aren’t feeling well.” 

How the boy could stand to be around him after Hux had been deliberately cruel, Hux had no idea.  If he were in the same situation he would have been incredibly bitter.  His own father had been purposefully horrible to him and Hux had never forgiven him for it.  Of course his own actions and his father’s were on different levels of severity, but the principle was the same.  If Hux was the one who had been hurt, then he wouldn’t have been so quick to forgive. 

“I won’t talk much,” said Hux, trying to let him down gently. 

“That’s okay.  I don’t mind.  I just… haven’t seen you for so long,” said Archie, “And if Mebh came she’d be quiet too.  She only shouts if something’s wrong, so we’ll be quiet.” 

There seemed to be no shaking him.  Hux shakily got to his feet and wondered how he would make it back with his legs feeling like jelly, “Well…if you like.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Hux reluctantly almost settles into his role...kinda

So he was a father, and he was going to die.  Death was the easier of the two for Hux to accept.  Everybody died eventually, and he had always been aware that death could happen at any moment, whether due to battle or systems being compromised.  It was…a touch sooner than he had expected, but nowhere near as overwhelming as fatherhood. 

He lay down in bed, his itchy regulation blanket pulled up to his waist as he reviewed the medical report.  What struck him most was the boy’s name, Archibald Hux.  Hux, not Ren.  For whatever reason Kylo had allowed his offspring to take on Hux’s family name.  Had they fought about it?  Argued over who’s legacy ought to continue through their children.  Mebh was a Hux as well, so whatever Hux had done to persuade Ren must have worked not once, but twice. 

Archie had sat on Hux’s couch at first, but in a matter of minutes became dissatisfied and asked, “Can I lie on the bed with you?” 

Hux glanced up and the boy quickly added, “I’ll be quiet, and I won’t move!  I’ll just lie there, and we don’t have to touch or anything.” 

Another bizarre and miraculous thing was how quickly Archie had forgiven’ Hux’s callous behaviour.  Hux had outright disowned him and did what he could to push the boy away, but the child kept coming back to him like a beaten puppy.  Hux had been in the wrong, and there was no getting around that fact.  The only thing left to do was to try to somehow make amends.  This was a good place to start.  If the boy wanted to lie in his bed, he ought to say yes. 

As soon as Hux gave a nod, Archie eagerly darted over.  Hux felt the mattress bounce with the force of Archie jumping into the bed next to him.  It was a… new experience.  Hux had never been allowed into his parent’s bed.  If he had tried to slip away and see his birth mother at night, he knew he could never stay a full night without being caught.  His step-mother never really liked him.  She would have him brought out for social functions and then put away in his room when she was finished showing him off.  His father… was best not remembered. 

Hux powered down the datapad and sighed, “So, your last name is Hux.” 

“Uh-huh,” replied Archie casually. 

“Why?” asked Hux quietly, “I would have thought Kylo would want his Force sensitive progeny to carry on his legacy.” 

“Ren is the name of his order, so we wouldn’t be allowed to take it unless we joined the Knights of Ren,” explained Archie, “And he wasn’t attached to his name before joining the order, so he was fine with using your name.”  Archie cautiously added, “You also… carried us.” 

“Carried you?” asked Hux quizzically, “You can’t mean I…?” 

“You did,” confessed Archie, “Do you…uh, wanna know why?” 

Hux nodded and swallowed a mouthful of nerves.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know why he would undergo a procedure like that.  It seemed so… invasive and wrong.  He could have destroyed his own body by doing such a thing. 

“Well, you told me a long time ago that when you and Papa decided you wanted us, you decided you wanted to carry us yourselves.  Later when I was old enough to understand where babies are from you explained that you didn’t want a surrogate because you wanted to make sure everything was done properly, and since Papa was away so often on missions and your job was more stable, it made sense for you to carry us,” explained Archie. 

So it was a combination of wanting to be in complete control of the babies’ natal care and old-fashioned pragmatism.  Seeing it phrased like that, Hux could see himself doing it.  The way technology was at the moment, if he had a male partner it would be possible for one of them to carry a child and then have a caesarean.  It was possible to have a female, or even a male surrogate, but Hux would have to trust them enough to allow them to carry and care for something that would be so important to him.  And if his partner was as active and constantly endangered as Kylo Ren, then it made sense for the more inactive partner to carry the children to term. 

The question remained though, why Ren?  The knight didn’t strike him as someone he would ever want to settle down with and start a family.  When Hux imagined the possibility of getting married, it was often to a high-ranking officer from a good family, perhaps a little older than he was, but no more than ten years his senior.  He imagined if he did have a family, if ever that was even possible, it would be a stable match with a stable household.  The last thing he wanted was for his children to grow up as war refugees as he’d had to endure. 

Ren was the exact opposite of all that.  He was shrouded in mystery with powers that Hux couldn’t understand.  Even after all these years, the knight’s name and home planet were still unknown to him.  And on top of all that, Ren had a dangerous lifestyle.  His missions and training were often life-or-death affairs and his horrible temper made him someone that Hux never would have trusted to raise children.  Especially his own children. 

“It’s…why we call you Mama,” confessed Archie, “We didn’t at first.  We called you Papa and Athair, but…well, I was being childish and got mad because I didn’t have a mom like the other kids, so you said I could call you Mama if it meant that much to me.”  Archie let out a slight laugh, “I was only three or four, but I still remember the way you sighed and rolled your eyes when you said that.” 

“Archie,” Hux began quietly, “How long had Ren and I…known each other before this happened?” 

“I never really asked.  But…let’s see.  When I was four, you turned forty,” offered the boy, “We had a cake with a big number four on it.” 

Right, so if he was forty Archie had been four, then Hux would have been about thirty-six when he gave birth.  That would have put him at either thirty-five or very newly-turned thirty-six when he’d been impregnated.  Which meant…a year or two from now.  Somehow in less than two years he was supposed to fall madly enough in love with Kylo Ren that he’d risk his body and career to try to have children with him.  It seemed impossible.  They weren’t sworn enemies, but their rivalry often bordered on pure hatred for each other.  Without Snoke to keep them in check, Hux was certain that one of them would have seriously injured the other by now. 

But proof of the opposite was staring him in the face.  Archie was his and Kylo’s.  His DNA was a perfect match.  While all this future-business still seemed a bit hard to grasp, and part of his brain still entertained the possibility of it all being a lie, it couldn’t change the fact that Archie and Mebh were his and Kylo’s children. 

“And we were in love?” Hux asked uncomprehendingly. 

Archie smiled sadly, “He was so in love with you that he destroyed the galaxy.  He couldn’t… stand the idea of anything existing after you were gone.  He didn’t think it was fair.” 

“So he threw a massive tantrum,” concluded Hux, “I wish I could say I was more surprised…” 

Fits of anger from the knight were nothing new.  Hux had been dealing with bills for damages because of Ren’s temper had been a constant throughout their five years of knowing each other.  Ren’s tantrums had always been selfish though.  When Ren destroyed something, it was because some misfortune or unfairness had befallen him.  Kylo Ren had never once gotten angry because something terrible had happened to someone else.  Perhaps his galaxy-destroying tantrum had been due to the fact that he had been left alone, that Hux had abandoned him.  That seemed more like the Ren he knew… 

“He didn’t do anything at first.  When… when it happened he cried a lot.  He kept vigil with you for days.  Mebh and I had to convince him to finally let you be embalmed and buried, he flat-out refused cremation.  Then…it was a few days after, and we thought he was just grieving, but he started breaking things, small things like glasses or urns.  Then the things he broke got bigger, and he started attacking people.  One day we woke up and the whole house was crumbling…the Force got bigger and bigger, swallowing up everything.  It was so dark, the most sadness we’d ever felt, and it was eating the galaxy alive.” 

Hux listened to the boy’s story quietly.  It didn’t sound like the Ren he knew, but Archie said it with such conviction that, at least in the boy’s mind, he must have been telling the truth.  The whole things sounded nightmarish though.  An unstoppable, invisible power devouring the universe. 

“We didn’t come back in time with the intention of finding either of you, we don’t know if the future could be changed or not.  In that moment, we were just trying to save our own lives,” said Archie.  He rested his head against the pillows and admitted, “When we left, we couldn’t sense anyone.  Maybe we were the last beings left in the whole universe.” 

Hux shook his head, “Nothing could be powerful enough to destroy a whole universe…” 

“Either way, there was nothing left, and no way we could live.  Mebh saved us and brought us here,” said Archie.  He managed to smile again as he said, “We never thought Papa would find us.” 

“And by ‘Papa’ you mean the Kylo from this time,” concluded Hux. 

“Yeah.  I guess he’s not exactly my Papa, he didn’t raise me, and now that I’m here maybe the future’s changed and he’ll never raise me.  Maybe I won’t be born at all now,” Archie wondered out loud.

“There’s a theory,” offered Hux, “That if a person went back in time then it would create another universe, one that would diverge from the future that person knew without destroying the timeline they came from.”

Archie smiled again and nestled into the pillows, “I hope that theory’s right.  If there was anything left alive when we left, I don’t want to think I destroyed it.  And now…now I get to have you and Papa back.  We might even be able to save you… we can be a family again.” 

What the boy found comforting Hux found truly terrifying.  He didn’t want a family yet.  This was going to change everything.  It was going to affect his career, his goals.  All of his carefully made plans and expectations were suddenly dashed and replaced with two children he had never wanted to have.  He wasn’t ready to have them!  He had no idea how to be a father.  His only experience with a father had been… 

“Did I…ever mention my- your grandfather,” asked Hux quietly. 

Archie shook his head, “You talked about our grandmother.  You said she worked in a kitchen.  Papa was the one who always talked about his grandfather.” 

“She did,” confirmed Hux, before asking, “What’s so special about Ren’s grandfather?”  

Archie looked away nervously before mumbling, “Well...maybe you should ask him that.  I have no idea if he’s told you yet or not.”  

Hux arched his brow, “Told me what?”  

The boy looked about the room before whispering, “About Darth Vader…”  


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So unfortunately I need to make some quick housekeeping announcements. 
> 
> 1) I don't know what happened to 7porgs/Bona. I don't know why they left and I haven't been able to contact them. 
> 
> 2) I'm aware of what happened to longstoryshortikilledhim's fics when 7porgs left. 
> 
> 3) I want to be clear that I'm not continuing to post chapters because I'm pro-so-and-so and anti-so-and-so. I started this fic, people have read and enjoyed it, so I'm going to finish it. I am not doing this to defend one person's actions or put down another person. I feel I have a responsibility to the people who follow this story to give it a satisfying conclusion. Those are my feelings on continuing this work. 
> 
> I hope that clears a few things up. On a more SW related note: Canonically Hux probably knew Ben Solo's fate, but I couldn't resist the drama...

“REN!” 

Hux stormed down the hall.  As soon as Archie had finished his explanation, he dressed and stalked down the corridors, driven by a fury that consumed him.  How could he!?  How could he withhold something like that!? 

He reached the knight’s quarters and pounded on the door, “Ren, open up! Now!” 

Ren opened the door and Hux didn’t hesitate for a second.  The closed the gap between them, jabbing his finger into his chest and forcing the knight back into his quarters, “Why the hell was I never informed!?” 

“Informed…” Ren trailed off, looking down at Hux in utter confusion. 

When Hux heard the doors close he shouted, “BEN SOLO!?” 

The knight paled.  He looked down and his mouth began trembling, unable to make proper words.  Hux continued through gritted teeth, “I’ve been on a wild goose chase for the past six years, trying to track down evidence that Ben Solo is truly dead, and I find out he’s been standing right in front of me for five!  Kriffing!  Years!  I’ve been wasting men and resources looking for a corpse that never.  Kriffing.  Existed!” 

As Hux panted Ren’s gaze shifted from the General to just over his shoulder, he glared downwards before his gaze softened from anger to hurt and humiliation.  He spoke more calmly than Hux had ever heard Ren speak in his whole life, “Archie, go to your room.” 

“I was…I was only trying to help…” the boy whimpered. 

“Your other father and I need to talk.  Please go to your room,” Ren repeated firmly, “You can come out when we finish.” 

Hux could hear the boy hiccup as he trotted away.  He kept his eyes on Ren, waiting until Archie had sealed himself in his room, out of sight and mind.  Hux growled, “So, when was I supposed to find out?” 

“Ideally, never,” the knight growled back, “The last thing I wanted was to be some propaganda tool, dragged out to show off as the fallen son of Leia Organa like some sort of freak.” 

The language he used was frighteningly familiar to Hux.  It was the exact way his step-mother had treated him, dressing him up, showing off how accomplished her son was before handing him back over to his father to brutally mold.  Hux crossed his arm and demanded, “And why do you think that would have happened?” 

“Because you’re you!  I know how you think!  You’d see an opportunity to demoralize the enemy while boosting your own side’s morale, and you would take it!” accused Kylo, getting closer, barely an inch from his face, “And don’t you dare deny it!” 

Hux wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow at that challenge.  It was the most logical choice to make with information about Ben, no, Ren’s past.  He stood his ground as best he could, “That’s awfully presumptuous of you.  Do you think I would risk my career by hurting the Supreme Leader’s apprentice’s precious feelings?  I know he hates it when I make you sulk.” 

“Don’t mock me!” shouted Ren, causing the whole room to shake, “You’re so…so callous.  Even compared to other Force-Nulls, you’re empathic abilities are non-existent!” 

“So what if they are!?” countered Hux, “You never think about anything EXCEPT your own feelings!  You could have the key to the First Order’s victory in your hand and you’d throw it away if it wasn’t exactly the way you wanted it!” 

“And you neglect your own children for the sake of your kriffing Order!  You’ve never changed Mebh!  You’ve never comforted Archie!  You just send boxes of junk and want to give a droid the responsibility of raising them so you can work, work, work!” snapped Kylo. 

Hux roared, “I NEVER _ASKED_ FOR THIS!” 

He expected Ren to respond, but he didn’t.  Instead Hux was left, arms uncrossed, hands balled at his side as his nails pressed painfully into the palms of his hand.  He panted, shaking his head before repeating quietly, “I didn’t _ask_ for any of this.  I was programmed to become what I am from birth.  I wasn’t raised to express the feelings or softness that you all seem to want from me.  I’m…doing the best I can, but if it isn’t enough, then just let me leave and spare us all this unhappiness.” 

Ren’s eyes softened and he reached out.  Hux instinctively took a step back and the knight stayed in place.  He spoke, albeit awkwardly, “I…I feel it.  You…that really was your way of trying.  Hux, I- I didn’t know, but I can feel it now.  All the pain…” 

“Get out of my head!” snapped Hux, moving his hands to his ears to try to physically block Ren’s abilities. 

The knight reached out, grabbing his fists and pulling them back down to his sides, “I’m not in your head.  Feelings pour out of people, it’s like looking at the glow from a screen.  You’ve usually got everything bottled up so I can’t tell how you feel, but…I really thought you were just throwing stuff at a problem to make it go away.  You weren’t and…that was unfair.” 

It wasn’t an apology, but it was the closest Ren had ever come.  Hux shook his head, “Why would you assume I wasn’t doing my best?  When have I ever done anything short of the best of my ability?” 

“It’s…that’s exactly what my parents did.  They passed me onto droids or a wook…nevermind.  They would just hand me off when they went away, but I wanted _them_.  They would work and then come home with gifts as if that could make up for the time I had to spend sad and alone,” Ren tried to explain, “I hated it.  Then I saw you trying to do the same thing, and that’s not what I want for my kids.” 

So the extent of Ren’s abuse was being passed to a nanny and being given gifts.  It sounded like heaven compared to the academy.  Still, Hux couldn’t argue his position.  He didn’t want the children growing up like he had either; a glorified lab-rat for the Stormtrooper program.  The idea of warm feelings was beyond him though.  He’d never seen what Ren might deem ‘loving’ parents, so he had no idea how to replicate that behaviour.  Hux sighed, “And you nearly killed them by trying to take everything on yourself.  Isn’t it just as important for them to grow up strong and independent instead of being coddled?” 

Ren sighed, “We need to compromise, don’t we?” 

“I’m afraid so,” agreed Hux, “Though I think I’m in more fear of the heart-to-heart I think we’re about to have.” 

Ren pointed to his couch, “Sit down, maybe?” 

This was the first time in a long time that they’d sat down on a couch together.  Hux recalled the first time was when they had been making plans long into the night shift and they both happened to fall asleep right there, sitting up with datapads and schematics strewn all over the room.  The second time was slightly more deliberate.  Ren had the foresight to advise Hux to bring sleepwear and his overnight kit, since it would be easier for both of them if Hux just stayed the night.  That time Hux had woken up and found his head was placed on Ren’s shoulder. 

The third time, their hands touched.  Hux pulled back, not wanting to be rude, and was shocked when Ren placed his massive hand over his own.  Briefly, Hux had considered asking him to let go and insist it wasn’t proper.  He wasn’t sure what compelled him to stay quiet, but it wasn’t fear.  He let Ren keep his hand where it was, and didn’t speak up until Ren ‘casually’ stretched to try to get his arm around his shoulders. 

Anyone looking for illicit evidence of an affair would be disappointed.  The worst they had done was sleep in the same bed for the longest time.  It wasn’t until recently that they decided to take things further.  Hux couldn’t sleep with anyone under his command due to fraternization laws, and figured he might as well take Ren up on his offer.  They hadn’t done much.  They’d discussed their health, whether or not they were free from diseases, if they ought to use protectors, if there was anything that they refused to do or have done for them.  After that, they’d gotten far enough that they’d seen each other naked and touched each other a little, but hadn’t actually had sex by most definitions of the word. 

It was silly to think about it, but for Hux, even that was a huge step.  He normally didn’t trust others enough to fall asleep in the same room as him.  He had insecurities about his body, and during his academy days fumbling with other cadets, he’d insisted on keeping his clothes on.  He’d entrusted Ren with his safety and his fragile pride on an uncharacteristic whim. 

And somehow that had all landed him here… 

“So…I want you to be more involved with the kids,” Ren began, “They want you in their lives.” 

“We still need to work.  Ideally it’s best for children to have a fulltime care giver, but at the moment, with both of us, it’s not possible.  You have missions and I have fleets and armies to command,” Hux explained.  He looked at Ren earnestly, “I want you to consider a nanny droid.” 

“Hux, I don’t want a droid raising our kids,” insisted Ren. 

“I’m not talking about raising them.  I’m talking about having something to make sure their clothed, fed and cared for in the event that neither of us can be with them,” said Hux, “It’s something that’s bound to happen eventually and I really think we need to be prepared for it.” 

“Why a droid?  There are civilian workers aren’t there?  Couldn’t we at least have a person look after them?” pleaded Ren. 

“It would depend on if we needed someone for enough time to justify hiring a person,” Hux reasoned out loud, “If it’s just a few days out of a month, I think it should be a droid.  If it’s for longer than one week out of a month, then I’ll consider hiring a nanny.” 

“There’s also the matter of you spending more time with us.  I don’t want to do all of the work,” said Ren. 

Hux sighed slightly at that and replied, “I’ve never raised children before.  I have no idea what to do.” 

“I’ve seen you with the younger cadets.  You actually seem like a natural.  You listen and you don’t talk down to them,” observed Ren, “And you seem to have a good idea about where to start.  You seem to know more about taking care of basic needs than I did.” 

“I was just being practical,” said Hux dismissively. 

“Well, I’m sure being practical will help when you change your first dirty diaper,” said Ren, a smug grin playing across his lips. 

“And what,” Hux demanded, “Makes you think that this is my first time handling feces?” 

As Kylo looked at him with a mix of shock and fascination, the sound of a hiccup echoed through the room.  Hux had almost forgotten that the children were still in the bedroom.  Could they hear through the door?  They’d probably heard all of the shouting.  It was embarrassing to think about. 

Kylo moved his hand and the door opened, causing Achie to nearly fall flat on his face.  He scrambled to his feet and rubbed at his red rimmed eyes, “I wasn’t spying or anything…I left my datapad and there was nothing to do.” 

Kylo turned his palm upwards and hooked his finger inwards, beckoning the boy forward.  He moved like a dog with his tail between his legs before he was standing in front of the two of them, looking deeply ashamed.  Ren sighed, “I didn’t like that you told Hux about me.  That was for me to tell him when I was ready…but seeing as you didn’t know, it’s not your fault.  I could feel your worry from here and I want you to know you can stop.  You’re not in trouble and we aren’t splitting up.” 

“Were we ever together?” Hux asked out the side of his mouth.  

“How’s your sister?” asked Ren, changing the topic. 

“Worried…but she felt better when you started talking.  We don’t like it when you yell at each other,” Archie pointed out. 

“I know.  We’re going to try not to do that from now on.  Right?” said Ren, looking over at Hux for affirmation. 

“As much as possible…” Hux added honestly.  He couldn’t see himself quitting shouting cold-turkey. 

Archie rubbed at his eyes again and Ren reached out to hug him.  There was something less stiff about the way Ren embraced people that had always fascinated Hux.  He held his son and for the first time, Hux heard the knight apologize, “I’m sorry I scared you both.  We’re going to do our best for you.” 

Hux added uncertainly, “We’re going to try…” 

Ren groaned, “Could you possibly be any more pessimistic about this.” 

“I’m not a pessimist, I’m-” Hux began. 

“-A realist,” Archie finished, his usual soft smile returning slightly, “We know.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short update with some family bonding time. Sorry it's late!

The new routine was hectic, there was no other way to describe it.  As soon as his shift was over he’d managed to carve out a two hour block to mind the children.  Ren had more time to spare, since he tended to dictate his own schedule.  If he wasn’t on a mission or in a meeting, the Supreme Leader’s apprentice was left to his own devices.  Hux on the other hand had very little flexibility.  His position gave him privileges, a private and spacious room, but he also had more responsibilities than most soldiers.  He also had a role to play in nearly every aspect of the running of the ship, so he frequently brought extra work home to his quarters with him when he was off-shift. 

Postponing that work for two hours put extra pressure on him.  The first time he did it, he kept anxiously glancing at his datapad, watching the messages pile up as the minutes passed.  The sight of so much piling up while he forced himself to role a ball between himself and Mebh brought on completely new levels of anxiety.  When his time was up, he practically ran out of the room, on the verge of tears as he wondered how he was supposed to sleep with so much work to finish. 

It did cut into his scant sleep schedule, and the second and third day he tried to keep this insane commitment, Ren took pity on him and told him that one hour of one on one time with the children would suffice.  One hour was still a burden, but it was a more manageable one.  He could afford one less hour of sleep at most every night. 

As for the children themselves, caring for them was much less difficult than he’d thought.  They took the lead and would either tell or show him what they wanted to play or what they needed.  If Mebh started snivelling, Archie would quickly tell him if she was crying from hunger, for attention, or if she needed to be changed.  Play time had been stiff and awkward at first.  Hux wasn’t used to the idea of fun at all, and at first he couldn’t fathom spending twenty minutes just rolling a ball around, but it was Mebh’s favorite thing to do.  There was also a First Order educational holo that she loved to watch about nature and animals. 

Archie was also definitely growing.  After a few weeks his clothes were tight.  The boy wasn’t just shooting up like a weed, he was definitely getting older.  The change was more obvious in Mebh, who had been crawling when Hux first started visiting and was managing to toddle about a few weeks later, though she hadn’t managed stopping, always tumbling over. 

“Archie, how old are you really?” asked Hux, catching Mebh as she tripped across the room and into his arms. 

“Me?  Um, eighteen, actually,” admitted Archie, “Mebh is sixteen.” 

It must have been distressing for the poor girl, trapped in a body that couldn’t really accommodate her mind.  She couldn’t walk or even use the bathroom by herself.  The girl rolled over on his lap to look up at him and gurgled happily, as if affirming her age. 

“I think your bodies are trying to catch up with your minds.  Do either of you know how quickly you’re going to grow?  You’re going to need new clothes, and you’ll need to eat more if you’re going to be growing fast,” said Hux. 

“We don’t know, we’ve never done this before.  We didn’t expect this to happen,” said Archie.  He moved a little closer and leaned over, “Can I…can I hug you?” 

Hux sighed and relented, cocking his head to signal the boy to his side, “I’ve got my hands full, but come here.” 

Archie pounced on his shoulders and threw his arms around him, “I never thought I could do this again.  When I’m fully grown I’m bigger than you, nearly as big as papa.  You feel so big.” 

So his son would outgrow him.  That was a surprise.  Hux was taller than most, but with his and Ren’s genes they were bound to have a brood of giants.  It was slowly getting easier to accept that Ren was also the father of these children.  He hadn’t quite managed to convince himself that he and Ren would ever be lovers.  Even if they were both parents, he hadn’t felt anything for Ren that he was supposed to.  He had never been madly in love with Ren.  There was mutual attraction and need, but there had never been that ‘spark’ that he’d heard so much about. 

“Mama?” asked Archie. 

Hux glanced at him, and it took a little time before he recalled that _he_ was ‘mama.’  Starting slightly he finally replied, “Ah, right, me, yes?” 

The boy seemed to think better of his question and burying his face in Hux’s shoulder replied, “It’s nothing.” 

One of Mebh’s dolls, a round cylindrical plush thing with Vader’s face, floated up to her, moved by one of the children so it could be within her reach.  She reached out and hugged it tight before offering it up to Hux.  He thanked her for it and gave it a little squeeze before handing it back to her, hoping that was what she wanted.  That seemed to be it.  Hugging it back she rolled off of his lap and onto the floor, crushing the doll beneath her.  She kept hugging it as she continued to roll on the floor. 

The blast doors open, signaling his time was up.  His legs were a bit shaking from being crossed on the floor.  He shifted slightly to get up and felt a hand on his shoulder pushing him back down, “Oh no, you’re not going anywhere.  Tonight is family-holo night.” 

Archie’s face light up and Mebh clapped her hands.  Hux felt his jaw drop slightly as he squeaked, “B-but I haven’t made the time to-”

“I know, I did.  I took care of rescheduling everything.  You have the whole night free,” announced Ren.  He beamed down at Archie, “So you and Mebh pick out your favorite and we’re all going to watch it together.” 

Archie smiled more brightly than Hux had ever seen and raced off to find his datapad.  Hux furrowed as he looked up at Ren, “I didn’t give you permission to fool around with my schedule.  I have a system.  You should have told me you wanted this first.” 

“You’re welcome,” said Ren, grinning wickedly as he sat on his couch. 

“No, no, not ‘you’re welcome’!  This isn’t funny.  You can’t just make these decisions for me,” said Hux firmly, “I don’t want you rearranging my schedule without consulting me first.  This is the absolute last time, Ren.” 

“Fine, fine, just come here, sit down and act like a family for once,” said the knight, reaching his hand out for Hux to take, “The kids have been wanting something like this.” 

“Then you should have said something, not hijacked my evening by force,” muttered Hux, taking it and sitting beside Ren.  The position felt much better on his legs, and it was a good thing he got off the floor since Archie leapt down on the floor to show a list of holos to his sister.  The two instantly began to scroll through a list and Mebh gurgled what input she had. 

Suddenly there was a warm feeling around his shoulders and across the back of his neck.  The sudden heat made him shudder and flinch away.  Quickly checking for the source he found Ren had put his arm around him and was trying to inconspicuously stretch out his other arm before settling it in his lap.  Hux arched his brow and looked the knight over.  Ren, for his part, didn’t make eye contact and feigned nonchalance, and did his best to ignore Hux despite putting an arm around him. 

“This one?” asked Archie, showing a holo about underwater animals across the galaxy. 

It was Ren’s turn to arch his brow, “You don’t want a fairy tale or something?” 

“No, Mebh likes these best,” said Archie, queuing it up to project. 

Ren seemed disappointed with the choice, but didn’t voice it.  Archie picked up Mebh and sat between them, wedging himself in tightly.  He leaned back, snuggling against both of them, and Hux could understand why Ren had wanted this so badly.  The boy cuddled close to Ren and rested his head on the knight’s arm and Mebh clapped her hands for footage of the now extinct aquatic creatures of Naboo. 

It was…surprisingly nice. 

   ***  

When the holo finished, both Mebh and Archie had passed out.  Hux picked up the girl, his daughter, and got her settled into her crib, tucking her in while Ren did the same for Archie.  With the children sleeping safely in their beds, they crept out, closing the door and breathing a sigh of relief that they hadn’t woken them. 

“You know, you have the whole evening.  You could stay overnight if you’re tired,” suggested Ren. 

Hux turned and kept his voice low, not wanting to rouse the children from their sleep, “Is that why you did that thing with your arm?” 

“I was stretching,” said Ren dismissively. 

“For two hours?” asked Hux. 

“It needed a lot of stretching,” said the knight quickly, “So, do you want to stay or not?” 

Was Ren…inviting him to sleep with him?  No, one of them was surely taking the couch.  They had been fighting recently, it wouldn’t feel right.  Or was Ren starting to…it fit in with the timeline Archie had given him.  Within a year or two they were supposed to fall in love.  The idea that Ren was falling in love with him was frightening.  He hadn’t figured out his own feelings for the knight or how the children would fit into this, but then, Ren had always been better with that sort of thing. 

“My bed’s a bit small, but we could both fit,” said Ren, pretending not to be invested.  He continued to pretend to be bored as he said, “And you could borrow something to sleep in.  So, if you want, you could stay.” 

Hux shook his head, “No, I should go back.” 

“Why?” asked Ren.  He dropped the act, allowing himself to be a bit more concerned as he came forward, “Hux, we get together in the future, we have kids…there’s no point in trying to deny it so let’s just accept it.” 

“Ren, it’s only been a few weeks,” said Hux, “It’s too much too fast.  I need this to be slow.” 

“Okay, but do you have to go away right now?” asked Ren, “You could…maybe stay for an hour and we can just talk.” 

“There’s really nothing to discuss,” said Hux quietly. 

“Yes, there is,” insisted Ren, “Like you not knowing who I was, and I have no idea what you were like, or your parents, or your home or anything.” 

“I don’t like to talk about those things,” said Hux, shaking his head.  He understood what Ren was trying to do.  It might be easier to transition into what they were supposed to become if they were closer.  Still, it would mean discussing his father, what he had done and how Hux had finally lashed out in turn.  He wasn’t ready for that.  He’d never been ashamed of what he’d done, his father had been a monster, but the thought of his children knowing made his stomach twist in on itself.  He sighed softly, “I’m sorry, Ren.  I should be going.” 

“We should be closer,” said Ren, sounding surprisingly desperate, “For, uh…for the kids.  They’d like it if we could all be together more often.” 

Something told Hux this wasn’t all for the sake of the children, though they were part of it.  Ren reached out again, “We don’t have to talk.  We can do what we used to, just sleep next to each other.  It’s been a really long time.” 

Hux let his head fall back as he let out another long sigh, “If I wind up with knots in my back from sleeping uncomfortably, I’m going to hold you entirely responsible.” 

“What else is new, you always blame me for everything,” scoffed Ren.  He took Hux’s wrist and pulled him to the bed, “Come on, I’ll get you a shirt you can sleep in.” 

"Only a shirt?" asked Hux haughtily.  

"There's no way my pants will fit your skinny waist," said Ren.  He smirked as he looked Hux over, "Besides, it's not like I haven't seen your regulation briefs before."  

A slight thrill shot through Hux as he was appraised.  It had been a long time since he'd been looked at with desire.  He'd gotten all too used to fear and disdain from enemies and allies alike.  He'd missed being seen as something, well, sexy, for lack of a more appropriate word.  

Ren's smirk grew broader as he pulled Hux in closer, "I knew you missed this.  Don't lie, I can sense it."  

Hux groaned slightly, "I always hated it when you did that."  


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello from Osaka!!! 
> 
> Just a heads up that I am taking a hiatus for the month of March. Nothing is wrong, I'm just going to be traveling and studying like crazy for the next month, on top of my full-time work. For sanity's sake, I need to take a little break. Hope to see you all when I come back! Hopefully I will even have a few new stories planned out!

He felt cold.  There was nothing around him but inky blackness.  Impossibly, there were shadows on top of the darkness, and the shadows were warm.  The further he went into the darkness the warmer he became.  He could feel limbs around him as the darkness folded over him.  He wasn’t walking, he was floating through it, flying towards the center of the comfortable, warm feeling.  It wrapped him up and held him close, in the way he’d always wanted to be when he was a child. 

Hux let the darkness rock him, cradle him, treating him like a precious jewel.  It was everything he’d ever wanted but knew he could never have.  He pressed his cheek against it, content to let the darkness hold and handle him.  The darkness rewarded his trust by stroking his face and patting his hair.  It felt so good Hux felt he could trust it completely. 

A deep baritone whispered to him, “I found you…” 

A loud, jarring tone blared through, ripping Hux out of his dream and back to reality.  He had tangled himself around Ren in a desperate attempt not to fall off the bed.  Clambering over the knight he slapped his hand against his datapad, shutting off the alarm.  The sound as well as his actions caused Ren to groan, “Did you have to set that?” 

Hux didn’t reply right away.  He was still dazed by the pleasant warmth and darkness from his dream.  It felt just as good as having a full body massage or a long, hot bath.  The dream had left him feeling lethargic, like he could drift right back to sleep.  He couldn’t though.  He’d arranged for him to have enough time to go back to his quarters, shower and put on a clean set of clothes. 

Without warning or invitation, Ren reached out and grabbed his bicep, “Five more minutes.  If you leave you’ll make it cold.” 

“I can’t stay,” Hux finally said, “I didn’t bring an overnight kit.  I can’t go on the bridge like this.” 

“Sure you can.  Like it’s the first time you’ve gone to work without showering,” argued Ren. 

“Those were extreme circumstances,” grumbled Hux, prying himself free from Ren one finger at a time. 

Ren let go so he could wrap an arm around Hux’s chest, “Should I start keeping some of your things here in case you stay again?” 

Hux groaned again and rolled his eyes.  This felt like it could end with another fight.  Ren didn’t want to let him go and was already making plans to have him stay over more often.  Before the children had arrived Hux had kept a few of Ren’s things, though he’d always assumed that Ren had forgotten them or accidentally left them behind.  Had it always been on purpose?  A bizarre plan to get closer to him?  Leaving clothes behind would be a convenient excuse to return and ask to be allowed in… 

That was neither here nor there.  Ren wanted to be closer, and Hux wasn’t ready to do things like move partway in with the knight.  The Hux from the other timeline, he’d had time to fall in love and choose to have children.  In this timeline though, the children came first and now it felt like he didn’t have any choice in the matter, like destiny had spoken and his fate was locked in place.  He felt he had to fall in love with Kylo, even though he wasn’t certain if he wanted to yet. 

He shook his head, “If your ‘fresher is anything like mine, it would be too small for both of our things.” 

“I could move stuff.” 

Why couldn’t he just give up?  Hux didn’t want to give a flat out ‘no.’  For whatever reason when it came to personal relations he instinctively reverted to using passive ways of refusal.  ‘I would love to join you for drinks but I’m perfectly swamped.’  ‘I’m not terribly interested in that sort of relationship right now.’  Why was ‘no’ such a hard word to say when this happened?  And why couldn’t Ren take the hint that he didn’t want to have this conversation now? 

“It would take too long and look too conspicuous, just leave it,” said Hux. 

“You feel…different,” said Ren, “Weirdly content.” 

“Being contented is strange?” asked Hux sharply.  Hearing Ren groan he amended slightly, “I had a pleasant dream for once. 

He looked over at his shoulder and through his sleepy gaze and disordered waves of hair, Kylo Ren was looking at him quizzically, as if something wasn’t making sense.  Whatever it was, Hux couldn’t be bothered.  He felt pleasant in the morning, which was a rarity, and he wasn’t going to let Ren ruin it for him.  He would need to keep this energy going if he was going to deviate from his usual morning routine, having to walk back and figure out his schedule since Ren had derailed it, again. 

“I’m going to reorganize some things, the kids will need space soon enough.  At least consider it,” said Ren. 

Hux nodded, though he had no intention of moving in with Ren any time soon. 

   ***  

Archie and Mebh were growing much, much more quickly than Hux anticipated.  Within a matter of weeks he’d completely outgrown his clothes and Mebh was now toddling about rooms, able to hold herself up on her own two legs.  She was beginning to form simple words as well.  Basics like ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’ and attempting requests like food and water, though the words tended to come out mangled.  Hux could barely keep up with them.  Before he knew it, Archie might well have passed for a thirteen year old. 

Strangely, he found it was too fast.  Mentally Archie said he was about eighteen, and Mebh was sixteen, but somehow in his mind Hux always saw the boy as about seven or eight, despite his rapid aging.  He would look at Archie and find himself longing for the boy to be younger, feeling that he was growing up far too fast.  All the same, Archie was getting to a physical age where he could take care of himself, and he was far too big to be sharing a bedroom with his infant sister. 

Or was he?  Archie might be independent, but Mebh wasn’t, not quite yet.  Having Archie around to take care of his sister had been a boon to them.  Hux supposed it ought to be the boy’s choice.  Almost thankfully, nobody wanted their chambers anywhere near Ren’s, so there were plenty of rooms available if Archie wanted one of his own. 

Hux decided the best way to ask would be during one of their playdates.  He couldn’t manage an evening, so he’d sent a message for Archie to meet him in the canteen while Mebh was brought to the training rooms by her father to crawl about and exercise her powers, which seemed to be returning.  Archie was delighted to have more time alone with Hux, putting on a brave face as he pretended to enjoy his vitamin paste and protein shake.  He smacked his lips as he attempted to get it all down and grimaced, trying to smile. 

“I take it…you didn’t grow up on this?” asked Hux. 

“Things were peaceful when I was little.  There was no need to go to extreme dietary measures to keep the military running.  It was still there, and people still ate it, but…um…” Archie trailed off. 

Hux sighed, wondering if it would be possible to get his children food they were more accustomed to.  They would be grateful, but he couldn’t constantly make exceptions for his own children while holding other officer’s children to a different standard.  His own father had overloaded him with tutors and special training, which had been hellish for him, but had earned him the jealousy of older parents who saw him as nothing but a privileged army brat.  Then when he became older, the children who ought to have been his peers grew to resent him for his ‘special treatment.’  He didn’t want to go and do the exact same thing to his own children. 

“We’ll figure something out,” said Hux, “In the meantime, Ren isn’t living in quarters that are meant to accommodate a family and neither do I.  So, in order to solve this, I was going to propose-”

“We’re all moving?” asked Archie excitedly. 

That was not the response he’d been expecting.  Hux looked at the boy’s earnest, hopeful face slowly grow sullen as he took longer and longer to respond.  Finally Archie went back to prodding at his vitamin paste and mumbled, “Sorry, I interrupted, go ahead.” 

Hux continued, though he was much more hesitant when he spoke, “I was actually wondering if you’d like your own room.  You’d still have access to both our quarters, but you’re getting older, and I thought you might appreciate the privacy.” 

“I’d rather stay close to Mebh…but you’re right, the rooms are really small.  Too small for three people,” agreed Archie.  He asked, cautious, “You…you and Papa are different now, aren’t you?” 

Hux looked about, making sure nobody had heard Archie.  By now most of the crew must have figured out that the two new children belonged to both Kylo Ren and General Hux, but Hux didn’t like the gossip.  He looked back to Archie and replied quietly, “Yes, we’re different from the way you know us.” 

“I guess we must have messed things up,” said Archie quietly, “I know you didn’t want us, that we just appeared with no warning and changed everything.  Maybe we ruined the future you were supposed to have.” 

It seemed the boy had inherited his father’s penchant for melodramatic assumptions.  Hux leaned forward and spoke in a low tone, “You did what you needed to in order to save your own lives, I won’t begrudge you that.  When I was angry and defensive before it was because I thought I was wronged by someone else.  Things have changed, yes, but so far nothing about my future has been ruined.” 

“But!” Archie exclaimed before quieting his voice, looking about before he whispered, “But you’re not in love with Papa… I’m worried we ruined that.” 

“No, we’re not in love,” said Hux, suppressing memories of Ren trying to get his arm around him and trying to convince him to spend the night.  Hux knew he wasn’t in love but Ren… Ren seemed to want more, whether that was love or comradery in a strange situation, Hux wasn’t sure yet.  He concluded, “Maybe things have changed and the future has diverted from what you know, maybe it hasn’t, but that isn’t for you to worry about.  We’ll get things sorted and provide for you as best we can.  In the meantime, just look after yourself and your sister.” 

Hux thought he had given a satisfactory response, but Archie still seemed concerned.  He furrowed his brow and asked, “Do you remember when we all watched that holo together?” 

“You’d like that again?” asked Hux, wondering how on earth he could shuffle his schedule a second time. 

“No- I mean yes, I would, but, wh-what I meant was after that, the next morning,” began Archie, lowering his voice again, “You seemed…different.” 

Hux arched his brow, “Ren said the same thing.  I suppose it’s something I’m incapable of sensing?” 

“I guess it would be a bit like someone suddenly changing their perfume.  They’re still the same person, but something smells different.  It’s not bad, it’s just… you don’t feel the same,” Archie tried to explain. 

Nodding, Hux pressed on, “I understood the perfume analogy.  Is there any way you can explain what exactly is different about me?” 

Archie kept his brow furrowed as he sucked his lip pensively.  He looked Hux up and down with his sea foam green eyes and sighed, “I’m not sure…it’s not bad or anything, just different, something extra, like a bit of lint that won’t go away.” 

Perhaps he ought to tell Archie about the dream.  Ren had said the exact same thing after he’d had it, so there might be a connection.  He could recall it very distinctly, being wrapped up in warmth and darkness, petted and rocked, feeling like he was the most cherished creature in the world.  A voice that Hux couldn’t recognize said that he’d been found, then his datapad had woken him up.  Since then the dream hadn’t happened again, though Hux occasionally went to bed secretly hoping to relive it. 

It could have been Ren’s doing, projecting something into his mind while he slept on accident.  As far as Hux knew, Ren had been out cold and wouldn’t have been able to use his powers on purpose.  If it was an accident they ought to talk about it… he would talk to Ren.  Archie had enough to worry about and get used to.  Speaking with Ren would be the best way to get to the bottom of the problem without getting the children involved. 

“So, in the meantime, would you like your own space?” asked Hux, “I assume you haven’t gotten much quiet.” 

“It…would be nice,” admitted Archie, though he immediately shook his head, “Though I feel like I should wait until Mebh can speak properly again.  She can only talk with the Force at the moment, so she really needs me and Papa.” 

“Well, I’m sure the vacancies will still be there,” said Hux, spooning up a bit of the paste, “Nobody can stand your father’s temper.” 

Archie smiled slightly and laughed, “At least we can count on some things to never change.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The kids are back!

Hux didn’t get a chance to talk to Ren, not right away.  In fact, aside from the time he’d carved out of his schedule to mind the children, he didn’t have much of a chance to do anything for himself.  If he wasn’t watching Mebh on his free time, he was showering or sleeping.  The only time he saw the knight was hurriedly leaving his quarters or handing Mebh off to Kylo so Hux could start his shift. 

Thankfully, Mebh was needing less and less help.  She was toddling a bit, but she’d mastered walking, and short sentences were starting to come to her.  Like her brother, she was very considerate and polite.  It was then that it occurred to Hux that if Archie and Mebh were their children in a timeline where he and Kylo were co-rulers, they must have been brought up to be courteous and diplomatic.  Being the closest thing to a prince and princess Hux could conceive of, they would have needed to be.  Mebh was always careful to mind her pleases and thank yous, though occasionally she would slip, stealing herself away in one of Hux’s private drawers to explore. 

“I’m sorry, it smelled good, Mama,” apologized Mebh, handing over a bottle of Corellian lotion that Hux had forgotten he’d owned.  Mebh had clumsily tried rubbing it over her skin and half of the bottle’s contents had wound up on the floor. 

Hux looked over the mess and sighed, “A droid can clean it.  I didn’t even know I owned anything like that.” 

“There was a drawer full of good stuff,” said Mebh, a bit cheekily if Hux was being honest.  He arched his brow and looked slightly affronted as she amended, “I mean… different things.” 

Hux glanced at the drawer in question.  He occasionally received gifts from diplomats, and having neither the time or interest in using them, Hux had simply tossed them all in a drawer.  He shrugged, “I don’t use any of it.  You can take anything you want from there… provided it isn’t alcoholic or hallucinogenic.” 

Mebh beamed before returning to the drawer, leaning over it and pulling out things that genuinely surprised Hux.  Expensive colognes, bath salts and infusions, massage oils, silk scarves… it made him feel like some sort of New Republic harlot.  Imagine the scandal if his crew caught him with such a collection of extravagant excesses!  It would be perfectly humiliating… 

Mebh picked out the ones she thought must suit a young girl instead of a thirty year old man.  She tested some of them, spritzing things on her arm and wrapping scarves around her neck that were so long that they trailed down to the floor.  Hux looked over them with concern, “Now… Now you know that those things are nice, but it’s not good to over-indulge…”  

“You used to say that all the time,” said Mebh, trying to twirl and landing flat on her rump. She didn’t get up, instead deciding to play on the floor with her new collection, “Papa had to trick you into accepting jewellery.” 

“Jewellery?” asked Hux, who couldn’t imagine himself with anything beyond his dogtags for ornaments. 

“Yeah.  You had a wedding ring, and Papa got you the most beautiful necklace made of kyber crystals.  You always felt nervous when you wore it for parties,” said Mebh.  She paused to think, “Anything fancy scared you a lot.” 

Scared wasn’t how Hux would phrase it, but he couldn’t imagine himself wearing some gaudy kyber necklace.  Something so extravagant could buy a whole warship!  To have such needless wealth hanging around his neck when he could feed a starving outpost with it made him feel slightly ill.  His own furnishings were elegant, but simple.  He intentionally stayed away from the opulent tastes of his father, with his love of rich foods, fine liquors and expensive décor.  It made Hux sick to think about it.  When he’d been a child and starving when Arkanis was under siege his father managed to put on more and more weight while others died from hunger and to this day that wretched thought still- 

The blast doors opening distracted him.  Ren was early.  Taking off his mask the knight instantly put a hand over his nose and asked, “What smells like roses?” 

“Your daughter,” replied Hux bluntly, pointing down at Mebh. 

Ren arched his brow and Mebh held up a half empty bottle, “Look what Mama let me have!” 

“Wow, that’s… I didn’t know you had this,” said Ren.  The bottle drifted between them before landing itself in Ren’s waiting hand.  He looked over it, reading the ingredients before giving it an approving look, “This is the good stuff too, not a knock-off.” 

“And you would know how?” asked Hux. 

“My father was a smuggler, I learned how to tell the real stuff from his bootlegs,” explained Ren, who kept looking over the bottle, “How come you never used it?” 

“I couldn’t wander around the bridge smelling like a flowerbed,” protested Hux. 

“So you just let it sit in a drawer instead?  Seems like a waste,” said Kylo. 

Hux knitted his brow.  He hated being accused of wastefulness, “Well I’ve re-gifted it now, so it’s found a purpose.” 

“Mama said I could have anything.  Maybe Archie wants some,” said Mebh, looking over things she’d sorted between ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ piles. 

Kylo seemed taken aback whenever Mebh opened her mouth.  She was about the size of a five year old, but had the speech and mannerisms of someone much older.  Hux wasn’t too surprised, since he’d been the exact same, albeit much more formal, at her age.  Kylo looked at Hux and said, “That’s up to your Mama…” 

“I don’t use it.  Archie might as well if he wants it,” said Hux. 

“Good, because this is the one he used to use,” said Mebh, picking up a cologne.  Hux was stunned.  How had this alternate version of himself allowed his children to acquire such expensive tastes…

Kylo looked down and said, “Oh, yeah, I like that one too.  I use it on shore-leave.” 

That explained it.  Republic-born ass that he was, Kylo Ren had spoiled them rotten… 

“Please… just take it all away,” seethed Hux, rubbing at his temples as he tried to figure out where his alternate self had gone so horribly wrong.  Falling in love with Kylo Ren was likely a bad way to start. 

“Don’t worry Mama, you taught us how to appreciate things.  We know it’s a privilege to have them, not a right, and we’re very lucky,” assured Mebh. 

Hux looked down and relented, “So long as you keep that in mind…” 

“We will,” said Mebh, who tried to pick up as much as she could in her chubby arms.  Looking around she sheepishly asked, “Can I have a box?” 

“Certainly, or your brother could help you.  Where is he?” asked Hux. 

“He moved out,” said Mebh, giggling before she added, “He was starting to fall out of bed because there wasn’t room.  He was choosing his room with Papa.” 

“He picked the big one beside mine.  He’s setting up a training space,” said Ren, sounding proud if his son’s interest in honing his skills.  

“I see,” said Hux, “Well…I suppose it was a matter of time before he needed a space of his own.” 

“I’ll go tell him to come help,” said Mebh.  She took off her scarf before tripping her way towards the door, taking quick, clunky steps. 

Hux watched her go and couldn’t help feeling nervous.  Children usually weren’t allowed to be out like this, and anyone with a vendetta against himself or Ren might find an easy target in Mebh.  The only reason he didn’t have her under an armed escort was Ren’s confidence.  When Hux suggested the idea he’d laughed and said that he felt sorry for anyone who attacked a Force-wielder powerful enough to invent time travel out of desperation. 

He had a point, but Hux still didn’t feel right about it.  He ought to give Mebh a knife or taser at least… 

“She’ll be fine,” assured Ren.  He approached, looking over the hoarded Hux had accidentally collected and chuckled, “Where did you even get all this?” 

“Diplomatic summits, meetings, offerings,” explained Hux, “I’ve been a General for about five years, so…” 

“And you never used any of it?” marvelled Kylo. 

“No.  How could I?” said Hux, furrowing his brow. 

“Because it’s a present that someone gave to you?” suggested Kylo, as if it were the simplest thing in the world, “That’s what polite people do Hux.  They say thank you and put the gifts they’re given to good use.” 

Hux recalled his father drinking brandy from a crystal vessel and trying to justify why Hux’s own rations had been halved and seethed, “I can’t use them.” 

Kylo arched his brow, “Can’t, or won’t.” 

“Alright, won’t,” Hux amended, hoping allowing Ren to correct him would make the knight leave the subject alone. 

“Why not?  You were practically sitting on a gold mine,” said Ren disbelievingly. 

“I try not to ask you anything personal, so please afford me the same courtesy!” snapped Hux, not liking how desperate his tone became.  He needed to change the subject… That was right, he still had questions.  “Can you project into someone’s mind when they sleep?  Make them dream things?” 

“…I can, in theory,” replied Ren reluctantly.  “It takes a lot of concentration though, and I’d need to be careful not to alert the person to their dream being altered.  If that happened they’d wake up.” 

So Ren hadn’t caused that dream on accident.  He’d also been asleep at the time, so there was no way Ren had induced the dream.  One of the children might have, but Hux simply couldn’t imagine either of them would do something so malicious, no matter how desperate they were to have their ‘parents’ together again. 

“I had a dream the night I stayed with you,” confessed Hux. 

“A good dream, I remember,” said Ren, who seemed suspicious as to where Hux’s questions were going. 

“I dreamed about… there was this black space, but it was warm.  I was floating in it… it’s hard to describe.  Nobody was there, but it felt like someone was there.  It was warm, and I was floating but it was also holding me somehow?  It was…it felt pleasant.  Then a voice said…something, I can’t remember what, only that it made me feel safe, and I woke up,” explained Hux. 

“And this is important because…?” asked Ren. 

“Because I don’t have good dreams.  I never have.  I thought… I thought maybe you were the one behind it,” said Hux. 

“You’re seriously accusing me of stuff again?” huffed Ren. 

“No!  It’s…I don’t _have_ good dreams,” repeated Hux, “It isn’t normal.  I can’t think of a reason for having one other than someone interfering somehow.” 

Ren paused for a moment, surprisingly calm and understanding as he took in all of the information.  He suggested, being logical, “So, if I didn’t interfere, and neither did Archie or Mebh, that doesn’t leave anyone else.  You felt a bit different after, but… maybe you’re overthinking this.  Maybe you’ve processed whatever kept you from having good dreams and now you can have them again.  Or… it might have been environmental factors.” 

“Environmental?” asked Hux. 

“You said you were held and floating at the same time.  I was holding you, and you were wrapped in a warm blanket.  Those could have influenced your brain and caused it to add those things to your dream,” said Ren, who had the audacity to grin and add, “Guess I gave you a good dream after all.  Of course, to be conclusive we’d need more data…” 

Hux narrowed his eyes, “That has to be the worst proposition I’ve ever received.” 

Ren chuckled darkly and put a hand on Hux’s waist, teasing, “Just you and me, tracking data all night long.” 

“You’re a git,” said Hux, slapping at his hand. 

“Drawing correlations,” purred the knight, pulling Hux in close. 

“You will stop it at once!” warned Hux, pushing fruitlessly at Ren’s chest. 

Ren let out an exaggerated moan and proposed, “Maybe we’ll even make a graph…mmm…isolating all those variables.” 

“I’ll isolate _your_ variables!” barked Hux, drawing back a fist. 

“Uh…we can come back later if you guys are busy…” 

Hux turned and saw Archie standing with a box inside the blast doors, red faced while Mebh giggled beside him.  Hux felt his mouth gaping, trying to form the words to say that it wasn’t what it looked like when he flew backwards onto his rump the same way Mebh had earlier.  He looked up, seeing Ren’s hand still extended from pushing him as the knight rambled, “Busy?  We’re not busy!  Who’s busy?  Let’s pack that box.” 

Standing up and dusting himself off, Hux seethed under his breath, “I’m going to kill you, Ren.” 

The knight replied out the side of his mouth, “ _Sure_ you are.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't meant to be this long but Hux was being difficult.

Hux was slowly, reluctantly becoming part of their family, and it was the best thing that could have happened.  For Kylo bonding had been easy.  The children opened their minds to him and sent him thoughts, which Kylo returned in kind.  It was so easy, and with their raw feelings always available to each other there were never any annoying misunderstandings.  With Hux it felt like he always had to explain himself perfectly or else the General would fly off the handle.  His inability to read intent was probably the most aggravating thing about him. 

Not everything about him was awful though.  On nights like this when Kylo had rearranged his schedule and he had the General leaning against him and an arm wrapped around Hux’s smaller frame, he was perfect.  Archie had chosen a holo to watch, another boring educational one.  Kylo couldn’t wait until it was his turn and he could introduce the kids to some of the classic adventures he’d grown up with.  It was probably Hux’s influence, but the kids preferred educational programs.  Admittedly they weren’t anything boring.  They were mostly holos about animals on far off planets, or about how different machines were made. 

Hux wasn’t exactly rapt with attention, but the holos held his attention.  Everytime Kylo glanced over at him he could see that the General was still watching and not drifting off to sleep, damn him.  It would have been so easy for him to start to tire out, his head nodding as it grew heavy until he finally leaned into Kylo’s chest and fell asleep. 

_‘Dad, you know Mama doesn’t fall asleep unless he’s in his room.  He barely slept whenever we had to stay at hotels.’_

Mebh let out a giggle and Archie looked over his shoulder, giving a light, apologetic shrug before he continued to watch the holo.  He sighed and wished Hux would throw him a bone for once.  This was the closest they’d gotten since the kids had come along and Kylo really missed the long nights they’d spent experimenting and wished they could return to that.  He hid his thoughts about the specifics, not wanting to expose the kids to anything that might embarrass them, but he missed having Hux to himself.  He missed the insecure way he’d first taken off his shirt and ordered Kylo not to laugh at him.  He missed Hux gradually becoming comfortable being naked around him.  He missed the first time they’d had a shower together, trying to disguise curious touches as helping the other get clean. 

Why couldn’t Hux just be like that again?  They’d fought about the kids, but it had all been a misunderstanding.  Now that it was all cleared up, they should have been able to pick up where they’d left off.  Instead Hux had clammed right up again and insisted on sleeping by himself.  It was frustrating.  If he thought he could get away with it he would have jammed the doors and forced Hux to spend the night.  It was so tempting… 

…but Hux would see through it.  He probably knew exactly how to take the panel apart and hotwire the door open.  Instead he just sat there, consumed with irritation as he contemplated the pros and cons of leaning over and kissing Hux’s cheek.  Hux would hate it, but maybe he could start small, something to convey intent without seeming too forward.  Slowly, he brushed two of his fingers over Hux’s shoulder.  No response.  He put his whole hand on Hux’s shoulder.  Once again, no response.  So Kylo pulled him in a little bit, trying to press him right up against his chest… 

“Any reason you’re trying to crush me?” demanded Hux under his breath. 

“It’s called a hug,” said Kylo bluntly, “You could try reciprocating.” 

Hux let out a sharp, angry sigh.  He didn’t protest, but he didn’t tell Kylo to let go either.  He just sat there, stewing in his discontentment.  If only he could have just reached out with his thoughts, then Kylo could have understood why he was mad and they wouldn’t have to fight and argue anymore. 

Archie turned off the holo as the credits started rolling over the projection.  He gave a yawn and announced, “I think I’m going to go to bed.” 

“Me too,” said Mebh.  She asked sweetly, “Mama, please stay here tonight.  I sleep better when I know you’re here.” 

Kylo felt the force-equivalent of a wink coming from Mebh and the equivalent of a face-palm from Archie.  Even though Mebh was being obvious to them, Hux fell for it, hook, line and sinker.  He sighed again and nodded, “I’ll have to borrow a shirt…” 

“Thanks Mama!” said Mebh, giving Hux a hug. 

Archie lingered by the door, inching towards it, his hand hovering towards the panel as he kept his eyes on Hux.  The General lifted a hand and beckoned him over, “You can have one too.  No need to make those eyes at me.” 

The boy flushed slightly, but was glad to have a hug from Hux before he headed off to his room.  Mebh left with another giggle, heading off to the ‘fresher.  She’d gotten bigger.  She was much steadier on her legs and her hair had grown out, falling down to the middle of her back.  She had probably been very pretty before her ageing had reversed, if Hux was any indication.  It was already obvious that she’d inherited his high cheeks and fine features.  As it stood, she was cute, but Kylo felt uncomfortable thinking of a little girl as pretty or desirable.  Or anyone else thinking of his daughter that way.  Mebh was his little girl, she would always be his little girl, and he’d be damned if he let some rotten boy come and take her away. 

_‘I can handle boys, daddy, don’t worry.’_

_‘Just stop growing up so fast.’_

“Do you mind?” asked Hux. 

Kylo was still holding onto him, and hadn’t let go.  Without missing a beat, Kylo replied, “Yeah, I mind a lot.” 

“Look,” said Hux, keeping his voice low, “These versions of ourselves in the alternate timeline fell in love, but I don’t know if that means our future is locked in or not.” 

Kylo couldn’t help his tone turning bitter, “So, there’s someone else?” 

“No!  Nothing like that.  I just don’t know if my path’s been chosen for me or if I’m free to choose someone else if I wanted,” explained Hux. 

It made sense, in a strictly theoretical way that Kylo hadn’t even considered.  Was falling for Hux fate or his choice?  However, on a purely emotional level, the fact that Hux was fighting both of their feelings was beyond annoying.  Kylo knew exactly what he felt and whether it was organic or destiny he wanted to move forward with them, not fight them.  He let Hux go and grumbled, “I’ll go get your damned shirt.” 

Kylo could feel Hux’s confusion as he stalked into the bedroom.  Why was he being so difficult?  It seemed like everything from gifts to dating repulsed Hux.  Obviously they’d worked it out, had two kids, and been married for several years, but in this timeline if felt like they weren’t getting anywhere at all and it was all Hux’s fault.  Kylo wanted to move forward.  Why didn’t he? 

Hux followed and lingered in the doorway as Kylo rummaged through a drawer.  He grumbled at Hux, “So who would you want to be with if not me?” 

“It’s not like that!  I’m concerned about the nature of choice in this situation.  Is this our choice or an obligation?” Hux tried to explain. 

“What would be so awful about being fated for each other?” asked Kylo. 

“Because for once in my kriffing life I want a _choice_!” Hux whispered sharply. 

Kylo paused.  He could feel a rant from Hux coming on, and if he was honest with himself, Hux’s rants were good for them both.  Hux got something off his chest and Kylo finally got some insight into his mind.  Sure enough, Hux blurted out, “I never had many choices growing up and I thought this one would be mine to make.  Clearly it isn’t.” 

Kylo rolled his eyes and pointed out, “’Yes’ is still a choice, you know.  If the universe or the Force or destiny want us to be together, why not just embrace it?”

The answer wasn’t one that Hux wanted.  The Force around him was still cold and volatile.  He was still confused about what direction to take.  Accept or resist.  When he considered the differences between their upbringings, Kylo realized how thrilling and strange choice must be to Hux.  The scant few choices people in the First Order were allowed to make for themselves must have been coveted ones.  He understood why Hux was bothered, but it was still frustrating. 

“If we go down this path, why would it be so bad?  We get married, have two really great kids, rule the galaxy-” began Kylo. 

“And then I die and you destroy it,” Hux pointed out. 

Kylo let out a frustrated groan and argued, “We can try and avoid that since we know it happens.” 

“But we shouldn’t just try to avoid the destruction of the galaxy full-stop by never getting married,” Hux countered irately. 

“So, that’s it?  Everything we had before this meant nothing,” stated Kylo. 

“I didn’t say that!  I just think we should be a little more cautious,” said Hux, “There’s a lot we don’t know about all these universes, free will and what any of this will mean for the galaxy.” 

Kylo understood all of that but he really wanted Hux to shut up, come to bed and kiss him.  He sighed and locked eyes with Hux, asking earnestly, “If you don’t want to be with me, what will you do?  What’s your plan?” 

“I…I don’t know.  Maybe I’d find someone else, maybe I wouldn’t.  I’d continue serving until I die or get discharged…I don’t know what the future would hold, but it would be one of my own crafting, not one mystical forces demanded that I accept,” reasoned Hux. 

“And that’s better than being happily married, having children and getting the position you always wanted,” said Ren. 

“I didn’t say it was.  You’re putting words in my mouth,” argued Hux. 

“Well, maybe it’s for the best that you figure out which path you want to take so you can stop putting me and the kids through this indecisive nonsense,” said Kylo.  It was harsh, but he felt he needed to be.  The longer Hux kept them all hoping the more it would hurt if he decided to go against what Archie and Mebh said their future would be. 

Hux didn’t argue with that.  He nodded and looked at the bedroom door, “I think I should go.” 

No.  No, dammit, why was Hux so melodramatic!?  Now it was Kylo’s turn to exclaim, “I never said that!” 

“I don’t want to behave misleadingly, and you’re angry so-”

Kylo didn’t let Hux finish.  He reached out his hand and Hux flew forward.  His legs hit the bed and he fell forward, face down on the mattress with a high pitched grunt.  Kylo sat down beside him, sheepishly mimicking Hux as he said, “I never said that.  Just for tonight, can we pretend you chose me?” 

Hux looked up, annoyed at first but soon giving way to the closest thing to sympathy Kylo supposed Hux could get.  He hauled himself up to his hands and knees to crawl up the bed and rest against the pillow.  He offered an ultimatum, “On the condition that you don’t hold this against me if I say no later.” 

The terms weren’t what he wanted, but Kylo could accept them.  He rolled over from a sitting position onto his side, spooning against Hux with an arm across his chest.  Why couldn’t things like this ever be easy?  He was fairly certain that other couples didn’t have to fight half as much for a little cuddling in bed at night.  Of course, other couples didn’t have their kids in the future coming back to the past and telling them that their love would destroy the universe. 

He couldn’t help musing as he took in the scent of Hux’s regulation shampoo and pomade, “Why do you want to fight this…what’s so bad about falling in love and destroying the world?”

“More than a couple things, I imagine,” replied Hux quietly, wrapping as much of his hand around Kylo’s as he could and lacing his finger’s between the knight’s.  He sank further into the pillow and ordered him, “Now go to sleep.” 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I had an eye infection which caused staring at screens to be a bit painful. I'm also taking another break for exams, so I should be back in June. 
> 
> See you next month!

Kylo seldom woke during the middle of the night.  He wasn’t a heavy sleeper, but in his own rooms he felt secure enough that he could sleep until he woke at a decent hour.  Between security and the force his safety was assured.  Something stirred him though.  He knew he wasn’t alone, Hux was asleep in his arms which ought to account for any odd energy in a room. 

Stirring slightly he tightened the arm he had slung over Hux’s chest, making sure he was pulled in close.  He felt warm and heavy, clearly in a deep sleep judging from the slow way his chest rose and fell.  Half-awake, Kylo couldn’t detect anything strange, just an extra presence.  There was Hux, and Mebh nearby in another room, and he’d become so familiar with them he didn’t think either of them would be able to wake him. 

Once he was a little more awake he could feel it.  He wasn’t sensing Mebh or Hux.  It was so strange.  Being nearly indistinguishable from his own, he was having a difficult time detecting it.  If he hadn’t known any better he might have thought a clone had infiltrated his room.  Hux kept sleeping as Kylo tried to isolate it, trying to find a source and being unable to do so.  It was obvious that this person was there, but in a way that a ghost might haunt a room with no physical presence.  Looking about Kylo felt he could almost track it, hovering about, watching and waiting like a predatory animal. 

It wasn’t trying to contact him, it wasn’t hurting him or Hux.  It just seemed to be watching from some dark corner of the room.  He moved away from Hux, which didn’t even make him stir.  That immediately roused his suspicion.  Hux was an infamously light sleeper and was prone to bouts of insomnia when he was in an unfamiliar place.  Hux ought to have woken up the second Kylo moved. 

“Hux, Hux wake up!” whispered Kylo sharply, shaking the General by the shoulder.  He didn’t wake at all, and that was when it became horrifyingly apparent that Hux was being kept asleep. 

In his frenzy, Kylo couldn’t isolate the other being, but he knew that it was honed in on Hux.  It wasn’t hurting him, but it was keeping him asleep.  Kylo tried to focus, tried to figure out how to get to it and drive it out.  He could feel Hux, who wasn’t panicked at all.  In fact, he seemed more relaxed than Kylo had ever felt before. 

“Dammit, wake up!” he commanded, giving Hux another frustrated shake. 

   ***  

Hux let the blackness cradle him.  Secretly, he’d been hoping he might have this dream again.  It was everything he’d ever wanted but had never received.  Things he believed he wasn’t even worthy to ask for.  A large hand caressing his face and carding through his hair.  A warm embrace lifting him up and soothing him until he felt completely pliant in its grip.  He’d longed for this.  A pure fondness that would never hurt him and seemed as if it would always love him.  He’d craved that sort of love from his family, and then from teachers and peers, then gave up on the notion entirely. 

He was precious to the darkness.  He could feel it through the way it treated him.  No cutting words, no blows, just soft touches.  Like many dreams, it didn’t matter if he was clothed or naked, whether he was facing up or down, or even if his eyes were open or shut.  The energy around him loved him and that was all that really mattered to him. 

_‘I found you…’_

The voice was familiar, but Hux couldn’t place it.  It was as if a voice that he knew had been taken and stretched, perhaps garbled by a machine to mask its identity from him.  He felt the darkness press against his face, moving back and forth across his skin, nuzzling his cheek and then his neck.  Hux reached his arm out and tried to keep it pressed against him, but he couldn’t grip anything. 

_‘I missed you…’_

“Where are you?” asked Hux.  It was clear that there was another being speaking to him, touching him, but was not really there with him.  In the waking world it would be terrifying, but it a dream it didn’t matter at all. 

The energy pressed against his back and coiled around his chest.  It was clinging tight like it would never let him go again.  It petted him, silently shushing him and went back to handling him gently.  It assured him, _‘I’m coming for you.  I’ll keep you safe.  Nothing will hurt you ever again.’_

Hux tried to reach out for it again, “But who are you?” 

The energy never got to answer.  Suddenly there was a light, a blinding light, flashing like a cannon blast and driving the darkness away.  It stunned Hux awake, the sudden loss of sight jarring him out of his slumber. 

The first thing he saw was his daughter, standing in the doorway with her eyes flashing and her teeth gritted.  It was jarring to see Ren’s anger on a face so similar to his own.  Mebh wasn’t just angry, she seemed out for blood.  Despite being less than half his size, Hux bolted back in his bed, terrified of his daughter.  She drew her hand back, but her anger remained as she panted out her fury. 

“What…” Hux began, unable to finish his question. 

Mebh didn’t say a word to him.  Her anger gave way as tears welled in her eyes.  Turning on her heels she dashed away with a choked sob. 

Hux threw off his blanket and called to Kylo, “What’s going on?  What happened?” 

“That wasn’t a dream,” said Ren, who was hurriedly dressing himself. 

“What are any of you talking about!?” demanded Hux. 

“You weren’t dreaming.  That thing, whatever you felt, it’s not what you think it is,” said Kylo, clipping a belt around his robes.  He pointed a finger warningly at Hux, “Stay here and whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.” 

“You can’t just snap me out of a sound sleep, have Mebh run off in a fit, say there’s some strange being haunting my dreams and expect me to lie in bed!” snapped Hux, throwing off the blankets and reaching for his uniform. 

“There’s nothing you can do, you couldn’t even resist that thing,” argued Kylo. 

“So I’m just supposed to lie in bed until it comes back!?” exclaimed Hux.  He stood and worked his jodhpurs back on, “If this thing is attacking me I want to know what it is!” 

“You can’t fight it!” Ren snapped back. 

“Why not!?” shouted Hux. 

Ren snarled between gritted teeth, “Because it’s _me_!” 

 

   ***  

 

Hux always knew that if he and Ren got into a fair, physical confrontation, Hux would come out the loser.  If Ren didn’t have his powers he might have stood a chance, but as things stood Hux being force-blind was at a horrible disadvantage.  With the thing worming its way into his dreams being a force-user, Hux could see where he would be useless against it.  He couldn’t even tell the difference between a pleasant dream and something infiltrating his dreams aside from some slight misgivings and intuition.  If this thing wanted his mind, there would be nothing he could do to fight it off. 

Perhaps it was his close proximity to Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke that numbed him to the danger of his situation.  He lived every day of his life with the knowledge that some mystical force could seize and kill him on a simple whim.  Even before that others had always been bigger and stronger than he was.  Hux was completely desensitized to physical threats because violence against him seemed inevitable. 

Mebh wasn’t though.  It seemed she was used to being the strongest being in a room with any possible rivals being her own family who would never raise a hand against her.  She wasn’t used to the feeling of a stronger being threatening towards her.  Her distress shocked Hux, not only because he suddenly had an inconsolable little girl in his arms, but because it made him realize just how complacent he had become towards men who had abused him. 

He still didn’t know what was happening.  Mebh wasn’t speaking to him, though she might have been communicating with Ren using her thoughts.  Either way, they’d all gathered in Archie’s room.  Mebh had naturally sought out her brother and had most likely told him everything.  The Ren from their timeline was alive, and he was slowly trying to figure out how to find them. 

Mebh wasn’t interested to speaking.  She clung to him when Hux had come for her, holding onto him as if she would lose him if she let go.  Archie’s mood had darkened considerably too.  It seemed while Mebh had inherited Ren’s fiery temper, Archie had inherited Hux’s tendency to become quiet and introverted when he was dealing with unpleasant feelings.  He stayed off to the side, quiet and angry with the situation. 

“So…he found us,” Archie finally observed. 

Ren also kept an arm around Mebh and gave a nod, “He must have honed in on Hux because he’s the only one who wouldn’t be able to sense him or fight him off.” 

“I’m not sure that’s the reason,” said Hux. 

“Oh?” asked Ren, his voice sounding dangerously close to scoffing. 

Hux looked up from Mebh long enough to glare and explain, “This is you we’re dealing with.  Mister ‘I can take whatever I want.’  Why go through the effort of fighting off three opponents when you can go straight for what you were after?  I don’t think he’s interested in destruction or picking us all off.” 

“He destroyed everything,” Archie reminded him, “The whole galaxy and everything in it.” 

“I recall.  He goes- went on a grief-stricken rage.  Something he wanted was gone and he wanted it back.  Presumably if he gets it back he’ll calm down,” Hux pointed out. 

“I’m sitting right here,” grumbled Ren. 

“He’s not going to calm down!” snapped Mebh, clinging so tight she nearly crushed Hux’s ribs.  “He had us!  We were there for him and he tried to kill us!” 

“We…we don’t know that,” Archie argued, softening slightly, “He was insane.  He wasn’t himself, so, maybe-”

“It doesn’t make a difference!” she snarled into Hux’s chest, “We didn’t matter.  If he couldn’t control himself for us he’s not going to control himself for Mama.” 

Even without the force Hux could tell the conversation was frustrating for Ren.  Naturally the idea that he would go insane and try to murder his children wasn’t what he wanted to hear.  He sighed, “Hux heard me- him.  I think we can all agree that he wants the Hux in this timeline.  He can project his mind across time but doesn’t know how to physically transport himself back like Mebh did.” 

“So we should do all we can to slow his approach,” said Hux. 

“How can we do that?  I’m not trying to be mean, but you can’t fight him off alone,” said Archie, “You’re just not equipped for it.” 

“I know how to hide my thoughts, but that’s beside the point.  I don’t know how this time travel thing works and I think it’s for the best that we keep it that way.  Having him poke around my mind is unsettling, but as I don’t possess vital information, it’s harmless.  I think you’re the ones who will need to keep your guards up.  Our one advantage is that he doesn’t know how to fully manifest himself or his powers, so it’s best we keep it that way,” explained Hux.  He forced himself to grin, “And if he does come back, I should be able to recognize him.  I might even be able to get some answers out of him.” 

“What makes you think you can do that?” asked Ren. 

Hux gave Mebh a pat on the back and glowered up at him, “Because if _you_ underestimate me for being force-blind, I can almost guarantee _he_ will as well.” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Should be back to the bi-monthly update schedule. 
> 
> Up until now the kids have seemed pretty perfect, so I hope this chapter doesn't feel OOC or like it's coming out of nowhere.

The mood for the next few days was decidedly sullen.  Mebh was angry and expressed it the way Ren usually did, by absolutely demolishing training dummies.  Hux had thought that since she was a girl she might prefer to talk about her problems, but she did the opposite, verbally closing herself off to presumably only commune with her brother and her father.  It stung a bit, and was beginning to feel like Mebh was avoiding him. 

Hux supposed it was natural.  Instead of fighting the creature that had nearly killed them Hux had been content to let it snuggle close.  In his own defense he wouldn’t have allowed it to happened if he had known what the creature was, but perhaps that didn’t mean much to Mebh.  Kylo was spending nearly every waking moment of his recreational time in meditation, as if he could find his other self and destroy it if he concentrated hard enough.  Hux would have laughed, but at least Kylo could do something.  All Hux could do was wait and see if the Ren from the other timeline would try to contact him again.  Unfortunately in this situation he couldn’t be as proactive as he would have liked. 

Even Archie was more sullen than usual.  Unlike his father the boy was practically the embodiment of a ray of sunshine, but even he was in a bad mood.  He tried to hide it behind a smile, but the second he thought Hux wasn’t watching his brows would furrow and his mouth would settle into a frown. 

In the meantime, Mebh grew big enough to have her own room.  It had gotten to the point where she needed her privacy more than she needed her papa’s assistance.  She had collected a few belongings, mostly selected from Hux’s drawer of unused gifts.  There were enough of them that Hux could offer to carry them to her new room for her.  He had volunteered, but Mebh gave a blunt, “Papa already did it” in reply. 

That was when Hux knew for certain that she was angry with him.  He could have let sleeping dogs lie.  In fact, that was what he usually did.  He’d learned long ago that it wasn’t worth pursuing people who were going to be mad at him for petty reasons.  Mebh was different though.  She wasn’t some cadet who wouldn’t live down the time Hux’s scuffed boot earned an extra latrine duty.  In a strange, cosmic way she was his daughter.  Even though his own father had been a poor model for parenting, Hux knew he couldn’t just let her think he was indifferent to her feelings. 

He knocked on her door.  He wasn’t sure why he did, no doubt she felt him approaching for some time.  There was such a long silence that Hux wondered if she’d wandered to the training rooms.  He was about to walk off when the door opened and Mebh asked from the shadows, “What do you want?” 

“Can I come in?” asked Hux. 

There was another silence and Hux was certain that she was either going to say nothing or tell him to go away.  Instead she grumbled, “Fine.” 

Hux didn’t have much experience with teenagers.  Sometimes he visited troopers, sub-adults and cadets, but they were all on their best behaviour when the General paid a visit.  Mebh however, didn’t give two kriffs what his rank was.  To her, Hux was the poor substitute for the Mama she had grown up with. 

“So what do you want?” Mebh asked.  She was mostly grown, but still small enough to curl herself up in a chair, her body language screaming that she didn’t want to be approached. 

“Just to talk,” replied Hux, “I suspect that you are talking with your brother and father, but unfortunately I can’t hear-”

“Use your mouth-words,” said Mebh irately, “That’s what Mama used to say, but you’re not him.  He’s gone, and he’s not coming back.” 

Hux was caught off guard.  From the moment they stepped on the ship the children and Ren had been determined to slot him into the role his future-self had chosen.  This was the first time any of them had rejected him.  She wasn’t wrong, Hux and his future-self could very well be two completely different individuals, but her words frightened him. 

“You’re not my parent.  You didn’t even want to be my father.  You don’t have to pretend anymore,” said Mebh, her voice conveying a great deal of finality. 

“That… came on quite suddenly,” observed Hux. 

“Aren’t you happy?  You can have your life back,” spat Mebh. 

“I’m more confused than anything.  I thought we were making progress,” admitted Hux.  Firmly, he asked, “Why don’t you tell me what I’ve done wrong and why you’re upset with me?” 

Mebh growled, “How could you not know!?” 

“Because I don’t have your abilities.  I can’t understand what you’re feeling unless you tell me,” explained Hux. 

“He was there!  He was right there in your head and you didn’t even fight him!” accused Mebh. 

It was what Hux had suspected, and once he realized who had been invading his dreams he had felt ashamed of himself.  For Mebh it must have been unforgivable.  The Ren from her time had destroyed the whole galaxy and tried to murder his own children, and here was Hux, content to lie in the monster’s arms and let it do whatever it wished with him.  He admitted quietly, “I didn’t know it wasn’t a dream.” 

“And that makes it all better,” grumbled Mebh, seeming more and more like her father in her vindictiveness by the second. 

“No, it doesn’t, but you need to understand that I’m not the same as you or your brother.  I have to be told these things,” explained Hux. 

“I could feel you, you know,” said Mebh sharply, her lips twisting in a grin that bordered on cruel.  “When you thought you were dreaming I could hear every single thought that ran through your head.  You like him.  You wanted him to come back.  You think he treats you better than we do.” 

Hux had a good memory.  He could recall most of his thoughts from that night and the final accusation wasn’t one of them.  This was also quickly getting out of hand.  He’d thought the whole thing was a dream and wouldn’t have accepted the comfort the other Ren gave him if he had known that what was happening was real. 

“I thought it was a dream,” repeated Hux, “Just a bunch of abstract thoughts my subconscious dredged up-”

“And it made you feel more loved than you ever felt in your life!” accused Mebh.  “Don’t deny it!  I could hear you!  I heard everything!” 

Hux wanted to shout back but knew he couldn’t.  Shouting wouldn’t solve anything and would only make Mebh shout more loudly at him.  He took a deep breath and replied, “Yes, it did.” 

Mebh looked up at him, completely shocked.  Hux looked about and took the seat opposite her while her mouth fell open, unable to form words.  Obviously she’d been expecting Hux to deny the whole thing.  He looked across at her and before the anger could return, he explained, “I’m going to tell you something that my future self never told your brother, and I suspect he didn’t tell you either.  I haven’t spoken to anybody about this.” 

Mebh glared and seemed ready to start yelling again so Hux cut her off, “My father hit me.  Frequently.” 

Now she’d gone back to looking shocked.  Hux continued, “I received a short reprieve when a woman stepped in and stopped him, but it didn’t last.  He had knowledge that he passed on to me, and when we were alone and she wasn’t able to step in, he would hurt me all over again.  So yes, it’s true, I was never held like that before.  I thought it was a dream so I allowed it to happen.” 

Mebh shook her head, ready to burst into tears, “Then why didn’t you say something!?  Why didn’t you tell us!?  Why would you hope for a dream to give you that when we were all right here!?” 

They were understandable demands.  Hux clasped his hands together and gave another honest answer, “I’m sure you can feel it.  I don’t like talking about it.” 

“I’m asking why you don’t love us!” exclaimed Mebh, “If you loved us you’d trust us!” 

Hux sighed through his nose.  “I just told you something that I’ve never told anyone.  If that doesn’t show how much I trust you then I don’t know what will.” 

Mebh wasn’t interested in logic.  Like Ren, she had wound herself up and was about to throw a fit.  Even with evidence presented contrary to what she’d concluded, she wouldn’t accept Hux’s answer.  She shook her head and started crying in earnest, “Why aren’t we good enough?” 

“You are,” said Hux quietly.  He could appreciate her feelings though.  Mebh had narrowly escaped being murdered by her father.  It was no wonder that she felt undervalued.  He added, “I’m not usually open with my needs, and I don’t think it would be proper of me to ask you to fill that sort of need for me.” 

Mebh cried into her hands and Hux closed the space between them, awkwardly putting his hands on her shoulders.  He tried to assure her, “I thought it was a dream.  I didn’t know my thoughts would upset you.” 

Mebh let her feelings out, continuing to cry until she had everything out of her system.  It seemed she’d inherited most of Ren’s personality despite getting most of Hux’s looks.  She shook her head, her voice hitching as she said, “You always told us to-to say things.  You never told us some-something so- important.” 

“It’s not something I like to share.  I’m sure you have things you don’t want to tell me or your father,” said Hux.  “And you don’t need to.  You’re grown and you’re allowed to have your secrets.” 

“I’m sorry…  I’m sorry, don’t go away, I didn’t mean it,” pleaded Mebh.  “I don’t want you to stop trying I just got so angry.” 

“I never said I would,” replied Hux quietly. 

Turning, Mebh managed to get her arms around him and pull him downwards.  Hux hadn’t expected her to be so physically strong, but she was her father’s daughter.  She clung to him and buried her face in his uniform, rumpling and wetting it in a way that Hux had never allowed in the past. 

“I’m sorry, don’t leave us alone again,” begged Mebh, “Especially not for him.” 

Hux hugged her back and promised, “I’m not going anywhere with him.  I’m staying right here.” 

“He loves you too.  Papa loves you a lot,” Mebh tried to assure him, “Even if it isn’t like that monster, he does care.  Maybe just- just give him a chance.” 

Hux pulled back slightly.  That seemed to be too much.  It was something he’d been avoiding.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to lock himself into anything.  No… he would just do as Mebh said, give him a chance.  They could have a date and if Hux decided he didn’t like Ren, he wasn’t forced to stay with him.  They would try and then see what happened. 

“I’ll try,” conceded Hux, “But you can’t hold that dream against me.  I didn’t know what was happening.” 

“I know.  I know, I’m sorry,” Mebh sobbed quietly, “I’ve missed you so much.  Please don’t go away.” 

Hux gave another sigh and braced himself to have his uniform wrecked by tears and clinging, “I’ll stay as long as you like.” 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! Work has been busy and I just got new assignments and I hate summer ><

Hux swore if he hadn’t promised his daughter he never would have agreed to this.  He’d never been on a date.  Not because there was nowhere to go or nothing to do, there were plenty of on-board leisure spaces run by First Order civilians.  The trouble was he’d never been in a relationship that had gone anywhere.  His ambitions had gotten in the way of every single one.  Inevitably he would have an angry falling out with his partners about not spending time with them or accepting transfers to advance his career that would force their relationship to become long distance. 

It never worked out and dates had often been more akin to study sessions or overtime, long nights working together.  Even his relations with Ren prior to the children arriving had been sleeping beside each other after hours of extra work. 

None of the clothing in his closet were suited for a date.  He had comfortable, recreational clothes for resting or exercise and his uniforms with nothing in-between.  Whenever he’d been to galas his uniform was perfectly serviceable as formal dress.  However, his uniform would be too much for a jaunt to the ship’s civilian areas, and neither his robe or training clothes would do. 

Archie, who had shot up like a weed, came to his rescue with a pair of plain trousers and olive green sweater.  His son held them out when Hux opened the door and awkwardly said, “I could… sort of hear you agonizing over this.” 

Hux sighed and accepted them, “We can discuss eavesdropping on people’s thoughts later.  For now though… thank you.” 

“Hopefully they fit.  I think I’m a little wider than you,” warned Archie. 

“You take after Ren, so I don’t doubt it,” said Hux, unfolding the trousers.  They were just a little bit short, and the waist was a little too loose, but it was nothing a belt couldn’t fix.  The sweater would probably fit loosely, and the sleeves like the pant legs would be short, but it would be better than turning up to a casual place in either a uniform or his bathrobe. 

“You know, you got me ready for my first date,” said Archie shyly. 

“You had a girlfriend?” asked Hux. 

Archie looked away shyly and Hux tried amending, “Boyfriend?” 

“We met at school and broke up when they transferred to a new program,” explained Archie. 

‘They?’  The person must not have considered themselves male or female.  Hux shook his head, “Well, I know all about personal ambitions hindering relationships.” 

“That’s what you told me, but at the time I felt like the world had ended and I’d never find anyone else,” said Archie.  He laughed softly, “I didn’t believe you when you said I’d find a way to move on.  I was mad at you for a long time.” 

“I’m…honestly impressed that you aren’t angrier with me now,” said Hux, “I was very cruel with both of you when you first arrived.” 

“I could sense your intentions… I mean, that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt but I knew you didn’t mean it,” said Archie.  He began dismissing the issue, “I can understand.  You’re here and we’re all okay, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” 

They were alone so Hux felt, just this once, he could swallow his pride.  Quickly, he set the clothes aside and mumbled, “I’m sorry about everything.” 

Archie laughed slightly, “Don’t be.  It’s okay.” 

Somehow that only made Hux feel even more guilty.  Archie looked at the drawer where Hux kept gifts he’d received over the years.  He grinned slightly and said, “I don’t think Mebh completely cleaned out your reserves.” 

“What?  N-no, I couldn’t possibly.  I decry excesses so often that-” Hux began to argue, memories of his father’s crystal brandy bottles filling his mind. 

“If someone’s going to lose respect for you over wearing cologne off-duty then they never really respected you in the first place,” said Archie.  He shrugged sheepishly, “Or something like that.  It’s something you might tell me later.” 

It… made a surprising amount of sense.  Still, Hux wasn’t certain he could stomach it if he succumbed to the same hypocrisy as his father.  Archie went to the drawer and picked out a bottle, bringing it over.  Hux shook his head, “I’m sorry.  I don’t think I can.” 

“It’s not something you bought for yourself.  In a way you got it because of your rank, so you earned it,” said Archie, taking the cap off and breaking the seal.  A foreign crisp, clean smell wafted through the room.  Archie held it up and asked, “Give it a try?  If you hate it you never have to wear it again.” 

Hux couldn’t believe his teenage son was trying to ply him like a toddler who was refusing to eat their greens.  Hux watched warily as Archie inched closer, holding the bottle to the side of his neck and flinching when a cool spray was spritzed on him.  The smell was cool, reminding Hux of mint but not quite matching it perfectly.  Archie pulled his hands out in front of him and lined his wrists up so he could spray one pump over both of them. 

“There.  It’s not so bad, right?” asked Archie. 

“It’s… different,” said Hux, trying to be neutral. 

“I can fix your hair too,” offered Archie, “I think Dad will be surprised.” 

He was already surprised that Hux had asked him for an actual date.  A real sit-down-in-a-restaurant-talk-and-then-go-home-after date.  Ren had gloated for at least a solid minute about how Hux couldn’t resist him, despite Hux being explicitly clear that this was a favour to Mebh.  The knight decided on the time and place, which hadn’t been important to Hux.  They were to meet fairly soon.  Hux would have enough time to get ready and meet with Ren before the… date… started. 

Hux nodded, “If you like…” 

“Great!” said Archie, “He’s not going to be able to speak when he sees you.” 

Hux took a whiff of the cologne on his wrists and sighed, “Well, if it silences Ren for a few minutes, I’m sure it will be alright. 

   *** 

Just as Kylo had predicted, Hux arrived at the precise second they’d agreed on.  What he hadn’t seen coming was how Hux would look.  The General seemed to have two settings, extremely formal and extremely casual and Kylo had begun to wonder if Hux even owned something in between the two.  It turned out he didn’t.  Kylo had seen Archie wearing the exact same outfit that Hux walked in with, but it did suit him.  Hux nervously tugged at the sleeves before spotting Kylo, then ignored the fact that they didn’t quite cover his wrists. 

He walked over and took a seat opposite Kylo, who instantly detected a cool scent around him.  It also looked like Hux had fixed his hair.  Instead of being plastered to his scalp with far too much pomade, it seemed much lighter despite being set in a familiar style.  He looked down at his napkin and pushed it into a more pleasing position, but didn’t meet Kylo’s eyes.  For a while neither of them said anything.  Kylo tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t cause Hux to freak out or make a scene. 

“You, uh… you smell nice,” said Kylo. 

Hux stopped and picked up the napkin, unfolding it on his lap.  Kylo couldn’t see his face, but his ears were bright red.  Kylo snorted and continued, “You look cute too.” 

Hux couldn’t manage looking up.  Kylo hadn’t been expecting compliments on his own looks, but he hoped Hux had at least noticed that he had put in a little effort as well.  Changing the subject, Hux reached for a menu, “Do you come here often?  What’s the food like?” 

“You mean you’ve never been here before?” asked Kylo. 

Shaking his head, Hux replied, “I always use the canteen.” 

Sighing slightly, Kylo said, “Well…normal food.  It’s a step up from regulation vitamin paste.” 

It was weird seeing Hux being shy and quiet, but once he was out of his element he seemed to clam up.  In a strange way it was endearing.  Now that he finally had a clear advantage over Hux and the General was getting shy and quiet he might actually have the opportunity to sweep Hux off his feet.  Under normal circumstances Hux was so eager to do everything himself and butt heads that Kylo could never swoop in and show off. 

He grinned and took up a menu, “It’s alright.  Why don’t I order?  I’m sure they’ll have something you’ll like.” 

Hux nodded awkwardly and set the menu aside, “I haven’t been to a place like this since the Academy.” 

“They seem to be good for morale.  People would probably go insane if they didn’t have anywhere to go after their shifts,” said Kylo.  “They must be especially useful for civilians.” 

Hux nodded his agreement and poked his cutlery into the position Kylo had seen them in more formal restaurants.  Kylo arched his brow and pointed out, “You know the idea of a date is to talk and get to know each other, right?” 

“We already know each other,” Hux countered. 

It was true, but Kylo wasn’t going to let him win.  He argued, “About work, sure, but you didn’t even know my real name until recently.” 

Hux made a face and picked up the menu again so he could hide behind it.  That was adorable.  Kylo snorted and set the menu aside, “Do you want to grab a cheap bottle of wine and go to an observation room instead?” 

Hux practically tossed the menu aside and jumped to his feet, “Well, if you insist then I suppose that’s what we should do.” 

Kylo snorted and waved a waiter over, pretending to ignore Hux’s eagerness to leave. 

   ***  

There was an empty observation room.  Kylo didn’t bother with turning on the lights since the stars and moons were enough to see by.  Curiously Hux didn’t turn on any lights either, and took a seat on a bench to watch the stars drift by.  Kylo took a seat beside him and looked out through the viewport.  Hux sighed, “I think this is better.” 

“Yeah,” said Kylo, twisting the cap off of the bottle.  He passed it to Hux, “I could sort of tell.” 

He waited until Hux took a sip to make a move.  He tried not to make it look like he was reaching, more like stretching and then his arm just so happens to wind up around Hux’s shoulders.  Hux seemed to fall for that a lot.  Once he’d successfully gotten his arm around Hux he pulled him just a little closer, and if he was lucky then Hux would lie against his chest. 

“Ren, listen, there’s still so much I don’t know and don’t understand,” said Hux. “I’m trying to give this a chance…” 

Kylo could hear the unspoken answer, and feel it.  Hux was used to being the biggest person in a room and now a situation that threatened to take any semblance of control away from him was threatening his identity and everything that he believed in.  If the universe was run by fate then all illusions he ever had of ruling his own destiny were wrong.  But if he fought fate, he would be giving up on everything he’d wanted and obtained in the future; a galaxy to rule and a family. 

“So what do you want to do?” asked Kylo. 

Hux passed the bottle back and Kylo took a drink.  He was surprised when Hux pressed closer, shivering from his nerves.  Kylo pulled him in a little more closely and warned, “If you don’t say it out loud I’m going to have to read your thoughts.” 

“Is there… something you like about me?” asked Hux, his voice barely above a whisper.  “Out of everyone in the galaxy, why choose me?” 

The question caused heat to rise to Kylo’s face.  Of course there were things he liked about Hux but he couldn’t just say them out loud!  There were physical, superficial things like his hair and eyes.  Hux would probably die from shock if Kylo replied that he liked his ass.  More than that, Hux had never been afraid of him.  At first Kylo thought that might mean he was stupid or reckless, but it proved to be the exact opposite case.  Hux wasn’t afraid of him because he was so confident, so driven and so dedicated that he wasn’t going to let Ren or his mystical powers usurp him.  It was a challenge that Kylo had never encountered before.  He was used to everyone getting scared and giving him everything he wanted. 

“I’m not allowed to just like you?” asked Kylo.  “What about me?  If you don’t like me then this whole thing falls apart.” 

Hux stiffened slightly.  Kylo tried to pass him the wine bottle but Hux’s hands had balled into fists.  He replied uncertainly, “I’m attracted to you…” 

Kylo looked over at Hux who had his eyes fixed on his lap.  Kylo offered quietly, “For what it’s worth, I think that’s enough to at least try this out.” 

This was it.  He was going to do it.  He set the bottle down and drew a hand to Hux’s face.  Encountering no resistance whatsoever, he managed to turn and lift Hux’s chin enough that he couldn’t hide by looking outwards or downwards.  Hux looked terrified.  His brow was furrowed and his mouth was fixed in an uncertain pout, but it was still Hux.  Kylo wasn’t holding him down, Hux could run away whenever he wanted.  If he did anything Hux didn’t like than the General would promptly slap him across the face and bark at him about protocol. 

He moved in close and stopped, his nose threatening to jab into Hux’s cheek.  This was Hux’s last chance to back out.  His last chance to shout or run or say he just wasn’t ready yet and wanted more time.  Hux didn’t move.  He stayed firmly in place, still a little bundle of trembling uncertainty.  Kylo placed an arm around his back, not holding Hux in place, still leaving him an out if he wanted it. 

He didn’t run or slap him, so Kylo leaned in and kissed him.  Hux still didn’t slap him so Kylo kissed him a little longer and held him a little tighter. 

When he felt Hux’s hands in his hair, that was when Kylo knew that Hux was probably alright with being kissed. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, it's super hot here. This chapters gonna be short while I try to find ways to cool off.

Kissing led to something else completely when they decided they were too drunk and intimate for the observatory.  It wasn’t anything romantic like Hux had imagined.  When they arrived at Ren’s room his sweater was hiked up to his middle and the knight’s tongue was halfway down his throat.  His fingers were tangled in Ren’s hair and he groaned as Ren kept trying to pull the sweater up higher and whimpered as hands touched his bare skin for the first time in a long time. 

“Bed?” asked Ren. 

Hux felt his heart leap in his chest.  Bed?  As in…sex?  Was he ready for that?  He didn’t bring protection and he didn’t know if Ren had any either, not to mention lubricant.  There was also the fact that he hadn’t shaved.  Either way, Ren was pulling him into the bedroom and pushing him onto his back.  Hux had a million protests in his throat, but the one that came out was a giggly, “You’re drunk.” 

“You’re drunk too,” protested Ren, sounding more whiney than usual. 

At that point Ren was crawling up his body to reach his mouth again, his hands pulling at the sweater until it got caught in his armpits.  Hux could feel Ren’s clothed torso against his naked chest.  He wrapped his arms around the knight as he felt a sloppy tongue licking broad stripes up his neck.  Hux hummed and whimpered at the feeling.  It was foreign, and felt good, but his brain kept wandering back to the thought that he didn’t like saliva on his neck.  He was also beginning to feel Ren’s hips ghosting over his.

“Stars you’re gorgeous…” Ren groaned against his throat. 

Hux felt heat rise to his cheeks when he heard that.  He’d been called a lot of things but gorgeous wasn’t one of them.  He was so flattered that he became completely tongue-tied.  Ren tried and failed once again to take off his sweater.  Giving up on fumbling with clothes he lifted it as high as it would go and took a good long moment to look him over.  Hux could practically feel Ren’s eyes on him and felt his blush getting brighter as one hand cupped a barely-there pectoral. 

“Mm…Ren,” groaned Hux. 

His hand trailed down as Ren pulled back and tugged at his pants.  He asked urgently, “Can I see you?” 

“We’re drunk,” Hux protested.  He sat up so he could cup Ren’s face.  He panted as he explained, “I want to be sober when we try this.” 

Ren groaned and argued, “I’m getting hard.  Just want to see you…” 

Hux found himself giggling and trailed his fingers along the sweater’s hem.  He lay back, propped up against the pillows.  He was surprised by how much he wanted to watch Ren strip him and worship the body Hux usually had so much contempt for.  Touching the sweater brought him back to reality though.  He didn’t want to do this wearing Archie’s clothes.  He also didn’t want to do this without shaving and cleaning himself properly. 

“Next time,” Hux mumbled out, “I’m sleepy.” 

“We can sleep naked, like we used to,” suggested Ren. 

They had done that from time to time; never having sex, just lying in each other’s arms and sleeping.  That was alright.  Hux finally pulled the sweater over his head and sighed, “You want to take them off?” 

Ren struggled to pull his own shirt over his head and Hux laughed when he got caught in it once or twice.  When he was free Ren put his large, warm hands on Hux’s hips, sending chills down his spine.  It took some fumbling, but Ren finally managed to pull Hux’s pants down to his thighs.  Hux curled his legs and started shimmying out of his pants, “You next.” 

Pulling off his pants, Ren fell off the bed and Hux burst into giggles, pulling a sheet over himself and settling into bed.  Ren let out a frustrated whine and draped himself over Hux while counterintuitively trying to peel away the sheet trapped between them.  “Want to see you…” 

“When we’re sober,” insisted Hux, taking a small amount of delight in how tortured Ren sounded. 

The knight groaned in frustration before pulling back and drawing a finger down Hux’s spine and over individual ribs.  “I love your back.”  Tracing his shoulder blades he added, “You’ve got a sexy back…” 

It felt so good just to be touched lightly that Hux shivered.  When Ren tired slightly he stopped and wrapped his arms around Hux, sighing with fatigue as he got ready to sleep.  Hux was tired as well, the wine having made him lethargic. 

Despite that they didn’t have a sound sleep.  Ren woke him up once to complain about needing some blankets too not having realized that he needed to get under them instead of lying on top of them.  Then Hux woke up with a headache and stumbled around naked in the dark looking for a pain reliever.  Then Hux’s datapad went off, since in his drunken state Hux hadn’t switched his notifications to silent for the night. 

Hux was certain that he woke up no less than four times in the middle of the night and Ren’s heat was alternatingly comforting and unbearable.  When he was certain they were both awake he proposed, “Let’s never drink again.” 

He felt Ren nod, groan, and tuck himself against the back of Hux’s neck and plead, “At least not wine.  Wine drunk is the worst.” 

Hux groaned in turn and nodded, “I have a shift in two hours.  I need to wash and put on my uniform.” 

“Sure would have been useful for you to keep a spare set of clothes here…” observed Ren sarcastically. 

Hux elbowed him in the ribs before stumbling to Ren’s washroom. 

 

   *** 

 

His shift was hell.  Hux fought a headache through the entire morning and the lack of sleep made him irritable and groggy through the afternoon.  Every time a small slipup occurred he had to fight to keep his temper under control.  He was gritting his teeth and bargaining with the Force as he returned to his quarters just wanting to lie down and- 

“How’d it go?” 

Archie stood in front of his door, looking eager and hopeful.  His expression fell when he saw how awful Hux looked and hazarded, “Not well?” 

“No, no… you can come in.  Give me a chance to clean up and take something for my headache…” groaned Hux. 

Archie followed at a distance, but looked ready to swoop in if he saw anything amiss.  Hux rummaged through his medicine cabinet before locking himself in the fresher… then realized he hadn’t brought a change of clothes.  He groaned, stumbled out of the ‘fresher to his closet, picked out some exercise wear and went back to shower off the grime from sweating off his hangover all day. 

When he came out he laid out his uniform and sighed, “It was fine, we just got a bit drunk.” 

Archie, the little angel that he was, had a large glass of water for him that Hux gulped down immediately.  He let out a gasp of air after downing it in one go and Archie let out a quiet laugh, “It’s so weird hearing you say that.  Both of you never drank much from what Mebh and I remember.” 

“Yes, there’s a reason for that,” mumbled Hux, setting the glass gently down on the floor. 

“So… what are you going to do now?” asked Archie. 

Hux paused and sighed.  He couldn’t exactly say no, and from what he recalled of the night before they were now going to consider a relationship.  For all intents and purposes they were together, though just in the beginning stages of getting to know and like each other.  Hux replied honestly, “We’re taking things slowly.  Very slowly.” 

Archie nearly let out a high pitched noise before flushing and returning to a more dignified stance, “That’s, uh, that’s great.” 

Hux was caught off guard for a moment, but recovered and asked, “Listen… you’re born not long from now, at least in your own timeline.  Did we ever talk about how we wound up together?  I just can’t see myself falling in love so quickly.” 

“Come to think of it… not really,” said Archie.  He let out a slight laugh and added, “You most talked about what pains you both were and both claimed to get married to shut each other up.” 

That… actually sounded like something they would do. 

“How’s your sister?” Hux asked, changing the subject. 

“She found the pool you guys use for antigravity training and decided to go swimming.  She’s always been more active than me,” said Archie. 

Swimming didn’t sound that bad.  Even with a shower and a recovery day Hux felt warm.  Perhaps he needed to sleep this off.  He sighed, “Sorry, I need to rest.  Today has been… trying.” 

“Want me to take care of you?” asked Archie. 

“No, you don’t have to.  This is entirely self-inflicted,” insisted Hux. 

“In my time you did the same for us after our first hangovers.  Don’t worry,” said Archie.  “In fact, I remember how to brew that special tea that works miracles for headaches.” 

Hux conceded, “That…sounds lovely.  Thank you.” 

"Great, so you go to bed and I'll take care of you," said Archie happily.  

He still felt guilty over his initial rejection of the children, but Hux conceded, "Yes, I'll do that.  I'm glad you're here Archie."  


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. Yours truly just worked a 50 hour week! Plus the heat wave. I'm really sorry my schedule got messed up and I hope the quality of my writing hasn't suffered. 
> 
> Thanks for putting up with me!

Archie was true to his word, possibly even better.  Hux settled in for the night, and with his permission Archie lay on the bed beside him.  It was so strange how much the young man looked like Ren, just with Hux’s own sea-foam-green eyes.  With a little more observation they shared a few more features.  Archie was a little slimmer than Ren, and his face was just a touch softer.  Even at that, he looked so much like his father. 

“You’re really mine, aren’t you?” Hux asked, tempted to run his fingers through Archie’s hair, but held back.  It seemed far too forward. 

“If you want me to be,” said Archie.  He admitted sheepishly, “I’d like to be yours.  I miss the version of you from my time, I think I always will.  But if it’s possible to be a family, I’d like to have that again.  So would Mebh… would you… would you mind if she joined us?” 

“Is she listening in?” asked Hux. 

“Yes and no, we were just chatting,” said Archie.  “I mentioned I was here and she asked if she could come.” 

“Of course she can,” said Hux.  He felt fear bubble up in his throat when he said that though.  He’d very rarely been alone with the children and he wasn’t sure what he ought to do.  He was recovered from his hangover, but what was he supposed to do with them?  Turn on a holo?  Read them a story?  They seemed too old for those things now. 

“Is it okay if we sleep here?” asked Archie. 

Hux was fine with that.  Not that he could have tried to be with Ren after last night, but it would be good to have an excuse to say no to sex.  He’d refused last night because he had been drunk.  He honestly wasn’t sure why he kept refusing.  They were attracted to each other, they decided they wanted to try having more of a relationship, but Hux couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.  The time didn’t seem right.  Hux wasn’t really the romantic type, but he didn’t want their first to be barely remembered drunken fumbles.  More than that… what if it was bad?  What if it was really bad? 

Realizing he’d been thinking for too long he hurriedly said, “Yes, of course, it’s perfectly fine.  But I’m not sure we’ll all fit in one bed.” 

Archie shifted on the bed and got the same look on his face that Ren did when he was trying to be inconspicuous.  He mumbled awkwardly, “Not if we cuddle…” 

Anticipating a question, Archie quickly explained, “I know we’re old.  It’s something we outgrew in our own time, but it’s like…we have you back.  It’s something we thought we could never have again.” 

That made sense.  Hux supposed if he had someone he dearly missed he would want to have them back the way he remembered most fondly.  Besides, it wasn’t asking much of him.  Mebh and Archie seemed to understand that he wasn’t exactly the person they remembered and wouldn’t be exactly the same.  They just wanted their parent back, even if it was in such a strange way. 

“You did come all this way,” said Hux.  “And I do need to make up for being rude before.” 

“It’s okay, if it makes you uncomfortable…” began Archie. 

“I’m not uncomfortable, I’m inexperience,” Hux corrected.  “I don’t know how much the version of me you knew told you, but physical affection isn’t something I’m used to.  I’m just not sure I know how to give it.” 

Archie stared up at the ceiling, looking thoughtful as he recalled, “Now that you mention it, you usually told us to go see dad if we were being clingy.  I always thought it was just something weird that parents said.” 

“My family wasn’t affectionate growing up.  I don’t know what to do and I don’t know if I’m any good at it,” said Hux. 

“Well, it’s basically what we’re doing now, except lying right next to each other,” said Archie, wiggling in closer until he was pressed to Hux’s side.  “Like this.  This is all you have to do.” 

Hux nodded.  This was… alright.  He could do this.  Though it didn’t take long for Archie to finished and admit that there was more to this.  “And… you could touch my hair.  If you wanted, I mean!  Or just, you know, not lying completely still, just maybe, uh, like a…” 

Sighing, Hux laced a hand in Archie’s thick, dark curls and began absentmindedly scratching his fingers over the scalp.  Archie immediately quieted and relented, “Uh, yeah, like that…” 

“Is this anything like you remember?” asked Hux. 

“Weirdly enough…yeah, that’s exactly how you used to do it,” marveled Archie. 

“I suppose when it comes down to it we were the same person.  Things like muscle memory would be the same,” Hux noted. 

The blast doors opened with a hiss and Hux could immediately detect the faintest smell of chlorine.  Mebh must have come directly from her swim.  Without removing her casual clothes she leapt onto the bed, causing Hux to bounce slightly with the force of her impact.  She grinned as she made no hesitation in cuddling close and wrapping her arms around Hux.  She reported happily, “I had a good swim.  I think I set a new record.” 

“A personal best?” asked Hux. 

“No, I meant on your ship.  That’s what the machine told me,” said Mebh, acting just a little smug as she tucked herself under Hux’s chin. 

Hux wasn’t sure if he ought to be proud of her accomplishment or upset that his highly trained troops couldn’t outswim a teenaged girl.  He settled on the former and gave her a pat on the back. 

“We really did miss you,” Archie sighed groggily.  “Not just because of what happened to dad after.  We missed you.” 

In spite of that Hux knew he wasn’t an adequate replacement for what they had lost.  The children had lost a parent, a mentor, someone who was much older than him who had been able to guide them.  A person who had been with them through first heartbreaks, first hangovers and helped them learn how to handle the fact that they were different from other children.  Hux wasn’t those things, not yet at any rate. 

“We love you,” said Mebh softly.  “We hope you know that.” 

Hux was beginning to suspect that he possibly loved them too. 

   *** 

He was weightless again, floating gently from coolness to warmth as tendrils gently caressed his cheeks.  It felt good, calming his soul and making him feel like a whole human being.  Hux opened his eyes and made sure they were open.  Still, all he could see was the inky blankness around him.  An invisible force around him rocked him gently, holding him safe and secure. 

Recognizing the dream, Hux commanded, “Stop!  Put me down.” 

The rocking motion stopped but Hux still couldn’t feel anything solid under his feet or his back.  He looked up into the darkness and repeated, “Put me down.  I want to talk.” 

Suddenly Hux felt something solid, but it wasn’t a floor.  It was like a massive serpent had wound its way around him five times.  The coils gripped him in a way that was completely alien.  Hux gasped as the ink parted before him and he was faced with a pale mass.  Two massive, black pools, each as large as his head stared back at him.  There was a fine line separating them.  A line between dark orbs, an inky curtain…

“Ren…” Hux gasped out. 

Whether it was from his power or because this was just a dream, Ren had become a giant.  Looking down Hux could see fingers as thick as his own body around him, holding onto him as if he were no bigger than a rodent. 

“I found you…” said Ren, his voice sounding more like a whiney protest.  He’d found Hux, so why should he put him down?  Ren repeated more heatedly, “I found you!” 

“Yes, you did,” observed Hux.  He repeated firmly, “Now put me down.” 

Ren stared at him and it honestly didn’t surprise Hux when he didn’t reply.  He was surprised by the single finger that stroked over his hair.  Hux tried to reason with him, “I want to talk to you about what you’ve done.” 

Should he mention the children?  Did this Ren know about them?  If Ren had tried to destroy the universe, presumably that included them.  He likely wouldn’t back down if they were mentioned.  It was very likely that he would become enraged.  Hux settled on saying, “Something must have happened.  I don’t remember you… like this.” 

“Mine…” said Ren, matching Hux’s firm tone.  “Want you back… Miss you so much.” 

He sounded genuinely torn over the loss.  Ren continued to touch him gently, even loosened his grip a little.  The hand around him fell open until Hux was sitting in his palm, a single finger caressing his cheek as Ren started crying, “Mine… my love… gone… come back…” 

“Ren… Why don’t you tell me what happened?  Tell me what you’ve done and maybe I can fix it,” said Hux. 

The massive Ren looked at him.  He brought Hux close so his nose was nearly pressed against him.  Ren held him reverently with both hands, his whispering voice booming around Hux as he confessed, “I went away.” 

Hux looked up at him quizzically, “I know.  You do that sometimes.” 

“I wasn’t…. wasn’t there when they…” Ren trailed off. 

When assassins had killed him. 

Hux shook his head, “It wasn’t your fault.  You couldn’t have known.” 

“There is an old story, about a powerful Sith who could create life,” explained Ren.  “I became powerful, I found you.” 

The hands started to close around him again as Ren declared, “Now you’ll come back.” 

He couldn’t make him.  If Ren could force him back he would have done it by now.  Hux stood his ground, “What happened to you?  What happened to your world?” 

Ren was becoming more agitated with his questions.  Hux felt the fingers close around him, cupping him, trying to seal him inside.  He pushed against the hand, trying to keep an opening for himself as Ren insisted, “My love… come back… you’ll come back.” 

Hux pushed at the hands, not caring if he was rough or not as he shouted, “I’m not going anywhere!” 

   *** 

“I’m not going anywhere!” 

He shouted as he bolted upright, pushing at hands that weren’t there anymore.  Instead Mebh and Archie sat up, grasping at his head and holding him tight.  Hux looked at the children and panted out, “Did…did we get him?” 

“No… he disappeared,” admitted Archie. 

“And he knows we’re here.  He sensed us and tried to cut us off from you,” explained Mebh. 

Was that what he had been doing with his hands?  Hux nodded and gasped, “We… we should tell Ren.  The one from this time.” 

Mebh nodded, “We’re letting him know right now.  Mama, it’s only a matter of time before he figures out how to get here.  If he’s this powerful from a distance.” 

“But there’s three of us,” Archie pointed out.  “And we know what we’re dealing with this time.  That… that isn’t our dad Mebh.  Everything we loved about him is gone, so…” 

Anger flashed in Mebh’s eyes, “No, he _is_ our dad.  And we have to make him pay for what he did to us!  No father should…  No father should hunt his children down the way he did!” 

Hux had to agree.  When it came to parents like that, they needed to be stopped before they could do anything worse.  He’d learned that the hard way.  Sometimes monsters needed to be slain.  The children agreed on that, but their reasoning was different. 

“Either way, we have to fight him before he takes this world too,” said Archie.  He clenched his fists, “I don’t think he wants to come here.  I think he wants to pull the Hux from this time into our old timeline.” 

“You can stop him, can’t you?” asked Hux.  If there was nothing left in that world he wouldn’t survive for very long once Ren took him.

“He needs to be closer.  He’ll come here, and when he does, we’ll stop him,” said Mebh. 

Hux looked about and looked at his time piece.  It was still late, far too late to think about work, but his heart was beating so fast he might never sleep again.  He recalled something he had learned in the kitchens.  A kindly kitchen woman giving him an herbal tea when nightmares came so he could go back to sleep.  He got out of bed, “I’m going to make tea.” 

“Now!?” asked Mebh incredulously. 

“Yes.  It’s late and I need to work tomorrow,” Hux pointed out.  “That Ren has ruined enough.  I’m not letting him deprive me of a night’s sleep and a day’s work.” 

The children stared at him, completely stunned for a moment before Archie put a hand over his mouth and stifled a laugh.  “You said… you said the same thing when a splinter faction of the resistance bombed our capital!  Dad got so mad and thought you weren’t taking it seriously!” 

“I am taking this seriously.  He’s ruined enough.  Let’s not let him ruin our lives, yes?” asked Hux.  He let himself smile slightly, “So, shall I make three then?” 

Mebh sighed, “Three sounds great…”   


	16. Chapter 16

“I don’t think I should be going anywhere… can you find some flaw with this plan?”

Hux was surprised when Kylo stopped him after a meeting and opened a file.  There was a map of a far off system, one very, very far from their current position.  It would take days to reach it and days to come back.  The target was a known Resistance outpost, possibly abandoned, but it was for the best that the whole thing was destroyed to prevent them from coming back.  It wasn’t particularly dangerous, but getting there was arduous. 

“It doesn’t need to be me, right?  Just send some ships and destroy it from orbit,” protested Kylo. 

“And who exactly is going to make it clear to the population that invited the Resistance to stay there in the first place that such behaviour is not to be repeated?” asked Hux. 

“I don’t know, Phasma or someone!” snapped Kylo.  “The point is that I really think I need to be here with you right now.  In case that other me comes back.” 

So that was it.  Hux sighed, “The Supreme Leader doesn’t take kindly to letting our emotions get in the way of his orders.” 

“I know that, but maybe if we can think of a better way to do this then I won’t need to go,” protested Kylo.  “We aren’t disobeying him.  We’re just finding a more efficient way.  You do it all the time so…what do you think?  Is there any way around this?” 

With a sigh, Hux opened the mission file on his datapad.  If it was a simple demolition mission then there would be no issue with sending an officer to oversee it.  However there was an issue with locals.  They had not only supported the Resistance in their activities, which was bad enough, but they seemed to have invited the Resistance in, which was another matter entirely.  The visit was going to be punitive, and several people would have to be tried. 

A mere officer couldn’t be sent.  It required not only troopers and demolitions but lawyers and political representation.  A whole team of people with a leader heading the charge to show how serious the First Order was.  Phasma was occupied with her troopers, but Kylo was forever at the Supreme Leader’s beck and call.  Kylo was free, Phasma was not.  Kylo would send the strongest message. 

It wasn’t necessary, but it was the best decision for the First Order. 

“I think you should go,” said Hux firmly.  “You’re the best choice.” 

“But I can’t be the only choice,” argued Kylo.  “The other me is out there, it’s trying to get to you and if I’m gone-”

“I have Archie and Mebh, who have been the ones who have staved him off not once, but twice,” countered Hux.  He made himself calmer and added, “I also managed to resist.  We’ll be fine here.” 

“Hux, I don’t want to go,” said Kylo, lowering his voice as if he was afraid of eavesdropping. 

Hux paused at that as he considered the implication.  Neither of them had ever disobeyed, and now Kylo was suggesting that perhaps he’d like to.  Hux lowered his voice as well and said, “You know if he commands it you need to go.” 

“I’m not trying to go against him I just… isn’t there a better way?” asked Kylo.  “I don’t want to leave you with that thing out there.  Not when everyone else is fighting.” 

Shaking his head, Hux remained firm, “No.  I’m sorry.  This is what’s best for the Order.”  Kylo seemed upset with his answer so he quickly added, “It’s not forever.  Show them we’re not going to be undermined and then come straight back.  Besides, perhaps nothing will happen.  This has never been a nightly occurrence.  It could be weeks, months before he strikes again.” 

“But we don’t know,” said Kylo. 

Hux sighed, “Ren, I’m sorry but this is the best way.” 

With a surprising amount of maturity, the infamous tantrum-thrower Kylo Ren simply took a deep breath and replied, “Okay.” 

“Okay,” Hux echoed, relieved by the response. 

“But maybe…” said Kylo, suddenly becoming sheepish. 

Arching his brow Hux parroted, “Maybe…?” 

“If we aren’t going to see each other in a while, maybe… you know… alone,” said Kylo. 

“I don’t have the Force, you need to communicate in complete sentences,” replied Hux with increasing irritation. 

Getting more frustrated himself Kylo raised his voice and blurted out, “We should spend some time alone and maybe…maybe have sex.” 

Hux’s eyes widened.  The conversation had gone from the other Ren possibly attacking him in Kylo’s absence to a proposition.  Hux hadn’t expected it.  Was this too fast?  They’d only dated once.  Were they meant to have had sex after the date?  Was he being a tramp if he had sex after the first date or had he been too prudish? 

Kylo quickly backtracked, “Or we can date, watch a holo… Hux’s you’re really red!  Are you alright!?” 

“I’m fine you- you oaf!” said Hux, trying to collect himself as he covered his face to hide the redness.  Hopefully it would go away by the time he left the room so none of his crew would see him flustered.  “What makes you think you can ask something like that without any warning!?” 

“What was I supposed to do!?  Ask if I could ask if we can have sex before I leave!?” demanded Kylo. 

“I don’t know you just sprung it too suddenly!” shouted Hux.  He stopped, took some time to breathe and said, “You don’t…you don’t think you want to spend time with your children?” 

Kylo looked down sheepishly and sighed, “You’re right, they’ll want time with us before I go.  I wasn’t thinking of that.” 

“No, you’re not wrong.  It’s something we should try eventually, I just wasn’t expecting you to ask,” said Hux, regaining some of his composure.  “It was awfully sudden.” 

“Apparently my future self will become a monster just so he can kiss you again,” said Kylo, sounding a touch too cocky for Hux’s liking. 

“So what?” asked Hux. 

“Don’t you want to try it out?  See if it’s worth the trouble?” asked Ren. 

Hux had mixed feelings.  The mere mention of the other Ren made him uncomfortable.  He had been held in the palm of the other Ren’s hand and looked into his face.  Strangely, despite knowing that he had destroyed an entire galaxy, Hux couldn’t bring himself to feel hate.  He had been frightened and angry, but upon seeing such a miserable creature the feeling of hatred simply wouldn’t come to him.  Ren’s words also brought a frightening humanity to the monster.  Everything that this Ren had done had been for the sake of becoming strong enough to hold him again.  Every atrocity Ren had committed had been in Hux’s name, for Hux’s sake.  All that destruction for the chance to kiss him again. 

Kylo using it as a reason to want to kiss him was a bit odd, but not unforgivable.  This other version of himself was obsessed with Hux, so why not try to see what the fuss was about?  It was also something they’d put off.  Hux wasn’t sure how much he’d be able to enjoy the sex if he knew he wouldn’t be able to speak to Kylo about it afterwards at his leisure.  He wasn’t sure how he would feel about having to handle the aftermath alone, whether it was good or bad.  In either case he wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone about it except Kylo. 

“Why don’t we try it when I come back?” suggested Kylo playfully, reaching up and tweaking the brim of Hux’s cap.  “Along with a few other things.” 

Hux swatted his hand away and said, “Touch my uniform again and you’re not coming within a ten mile radius of my bedroom door.” 

   ***  

It took a while for it to register that Ren was gone for several weeks.  Hux had seen him off of course, as had Mebh and Archie, but Hux’s mind still seemed to think that Ren was there.  At first Hux chalked it up to habit.  Kylo Ren was usually around so Hux simply expected him to be there.  Then it would hit that Kylo had gone away.  Hux could send him messages and communicate through holos, but Ren wouldn’t be there.  Then when he realized it he would get an empty feeling in his chest. 

Hux hadn’t missed anyone since Rae Sloane, and after she had gone and his father returned, Hux’s feelings of longing had turned to resentment.  How could she have left him knowing what would happen if she went away?  Hux swore he would never trust or miss anyone again after that.  They were only going to disappoint him in the end. 

And now, here he was, pining for Kylo Ren of all people.  Hux couldn’t believe how awful he felt.  He couldn’t believe how badly he wanted to take back what he had said and maybe at least given Ren a few goodbye kisses…

Kiss…

He wanted to kiss Kylo.  He couldn’t believe it.  Couldn’t believe the empty feeling.  And this was just a fraction of the loneliness the children felt.  Kylo would be back when the mission was over.  The other Hux was dead and the other Ren was a madman. 

Still, even this much loneliness felt unbearable.  Hux couldn’t believe he was actually pining.  Every time he looked out the viewports he would think of Ren and how they kissed and he would wonder where he was and how he was faring.  It was completely idiotic.  He could look into their databases and figure it out for himself at any moment and thinking about it was just going to keep feeding this insatiable feeling of wanting that was growing inside of him.  He really couldn’t believe that this feeling was happening to him again. 

“He’ll be back,” said Archie.  “He’s going to be fine. 

Hux believed him, but the worry wouldn’t leave.  He wanted so badly for Ren to be back as he grappled with a new, very strange realization. 

He was in love with Ren. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was another killer overtime week. Sorry for the delays ORZ

Days and weeks went by and Hux found himself hanging on correspondence from Ren.  He got one message every day and, like a love-sick sub-adult, would lie in bed and read it over and over as he composed a reply.  It was ridiculous.  A month ago he wouldn’t have cared if Ren had left.  He would have been happy to have the ship to himself and not have to consult with a co-commander.  With Ren out of the way he would have had a satisfying evening with a cup of tea, smug with the knowledge that all of the decisions he had made that day were his own. 

Of course… there had always been a part of him that was eager for Ren’s return.  He had always thought it was so he could flaunt how much better of a leader he was in front of the knight.  Analyzing that further, he’d always craved Ren’s recognition, his approval, and had gone after it in the only way he knew how. 

Was this how it had happened for the Hux in the other timeline?  Had the other Hux realized his feelings and acted on them?  Ren was clearly receptive, so he wouldn’t have refused any advance or suggestion Hux made.  From there…in about one year they had decided to have a child.  Were their own lives on a similar path?  Were they going to have their own children soon?  Would they have the same Archie and Mebh or would their children be different from the other timeline? 

As for the children, they seemed unperturbed by their father’s absence.  Archie tended to keep to himself, but Mebh preferred socializing.  She went to the training centers regularly and had consequently started to make friends.  It wasn’t long before she was sending last minute messages to reschedule time together so she could go for runs with junior officers her own age. 

The first time it happened Hux had felt a bit upset.  Without Ren he felt lonely and nightly chats or holos with the children helped with that.  But Mebh wasn’t a child, and was allowed to go out and create her own social circle.  Frankly he was surprised that Archie hadn’t done the same. 

It wasn’t as if it was too difficult.  Even if Archie preferred solitary activities, there were archives.  It wasn’t too much of a stretch for Archie to meet other people who were slightly introverted. 

Instead Archie came to his room without fail, often earlier than necessary, and would stay so late that he wound up sleeping on the couch.  It became more and more apparent that while Mebh had branched out in a healthy way, Archie wasn’t willing to leave Hux’s side.  Not yet. 

Once again, Mebh had promised to come, but would be about a half hour late since she and a few friends were getting caf after their workout.  Archie was already settled in with his tea and a datapad, content to lean against Hux as they both read together. 

“You don’t mind being here every few nights?” asked Hux. 

“No, I like spending time with you,” said Archie. 

It sounded like he was trying to reassure Hux that he was good company.  Trying to gently reroute the conversation he observed, “Mebh’s made a lot of friends.  If you have other people you want to spend time with…” 

“No, it’s okay.  I like this,” said Archie. 

Hux powered off his datapad and set it aside.  He hoped he didn’t seem too serious or imposing as he said, “You lost your galaxy and came to this one.  You have a chance to rebuild if you want.  So if you’d like to go out and make friends, I won’t hold it against you.” 

“But I have you back now too,” said Archie. 

It was such a simple sentiment that Hux really didn’t know how to respond to it.  Archie’s friends, the ones who were his own age, wouldn’t have been born yet.  Hux was the only person from his time who was here.  Hux spoke to him seriously, “I know, and if you want to spend time with me that’s alright, but you’re allowed to have your own life.  What were you doing before everything happened?” 

Archie sighed and said, “I was about to graduate.  I had a position as a lieutenant lined up.” 

That was surprising.  Hux inquired, “You weren’t going to become a knight like Ren?” 

“No.  I wanted to be an officer,” said Archie. 

Hux smiled slightly and observed, “Your hair’s a bit long.” 

“There’s no rule stating that the men can’t have long hair, just that long haired officers have to keep their hair in a bun,” said Archie.  “I wanted to go into intelligence, work on strategy.  It would be helpful, but it would also be quiet.” 

“Well, if you have the training, we might be able to help you finish your schooling and find a position for you.  Would you want that?” asked Hux. 

“It’s not that I don’t want it, it’s just…it’s not the same.  All of my friends from my program, they’re not around.  All my teachers and superiors, they might not have graduated yet,” explained Archie. 

“That doesn’t mean you can’t have something new,” said Hux. 

“I just don’t know,” said Archie, powering off his datapad.  He didn’t look at Hux, fixing his eyes ahead as he said, “I don’t think I deserve it sometimes.  Why was I special?  Mebh was the one who got us through.  She didn’t need me to do it, she could have saved anyone.  Why did I survive when nobody else…” 

Hux had seen this before when a group left for a mission and only a handful returned.  There was a strange sort of guilt that came with surviving a disaster.  What made one person more worthy of survival when someone else wasn’t?  Perhaps it was a fluke.  Dumb luck that one had survived when someone better or more important had perished. 

“All I wanted after that was to see you again.  I feel like I’m some sort of imposter wandering around where I don’t belong,” said Archie. 

Hux leaned against him.  The boy was broad like his father and Hux couldn’t quite get his arms around him without stretching awkwardly.  He could hold his hand though.  “You’re not from this time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a place for you here.  It doesn’t mean you can’t have meaningful relationships or find something new to keep you going.” 

Archie nodded and his voice got quiet as he said, “I don’t…really know what I want yet.  So until I do, can’t I just stay here with you?” 

Hux nodded and moved his hand to Archie’s back.  He held in a sob and shuddered quietly until his mood past, then took out the remote for the holoprojector with a sniffle and began to look through lists.  He forced a smile as he said, “Th-there’s one on the history of TIE fighters… We could watch it.” 

“That one sounds alright,” said Hux. 

“I-I’m sorry, dad’s on a mission and you miss him.  You have your own problems to worry about,” said Archie. 

“But I’m in a state where I can help you with your problems.  If I wasn’t I’d have let you know,” assured Hux. 

“So what are you going to do when he comes back?” asked Archie. 

The answer to that question certainly wasn’t suitable for his child’s ears. 

“O-oh!” said Archie, instantly floundering.  “Sorry!” 

“N-no, it’s alright.  We talked about, maybe taking things a little further,” said Hux. 

“Then, uh…maybe…” Archie trailed off. 

Mebh opened the door and bounded in, grinning ear to ear, her thick hair still wet from the showers.  She stopped by her brother, leaning over his shoulders and something in him instantly relaxed as an unspoken conversation seemed to take place between them.  After about half a minute she asked, “So what are we watching tonight?” 

“They’re going on another date,” said Archie. 

“Really!?  Can I dress mom this time?” asked Mebh. 

“What?” asked Hux. 

“Archie got to pick out your outfit last time,” said Mebh, pulling out her own datapad.

“That was because he needed to borrow clothes.  He couldn’t really take yours,” said Archie, sounding a bit more defensive than usual. 

“Well, then maybe he should get some new ones,” said Mebh. 

“That…that really isn’t necessary,” said Hux.  He had a uniform, a dress uniform, a robe and exercise clothes.  What else could he possibly need?  There were civilian clothes, but those were more of a luxury in his mind. 

“You don’t have anything for going out,” said Mebh.  “What if dad decides to take you somewhere on shore leave?  You can’t wear your uniform everywhere.” 

She vaulted over the couch and plopped herself between them, searching through shops and projected a still-holo of a sweater, “Now, this one comes in teal, charcoal or navy and it’s a slim fit.  What do you think?” 

“How much does it-?” Hux began to ask. 

“I’m not telling you that,” said Mebh, “So, do you like this one or not?” 

“I don’t know…” said Hux, looking at it.  It reminded him of the sort of cable-knit sweaters that were popular on Arkanis, but a bit less bulky. 

“How about we show him a few different ones and let him choose?” asked Archie. 

“I was about to do that,” said Mebh, rolling her eyes. 

She opened several holos, lining up several designs with lists of colour options.  Hux looked at them all, completely unnerved.  He had never been presented with so much choice before, and over something so frivolous.  Surely there had to be some sort of standard.  Items that were modest and frugal that everyone had in their wardrobes. 

Mebh glanced at him before closing all but three designs, “How about these ones?  They’re nice.” 

Now that there were three it was a bit easier.  The vaguely Arkanisian one was nice, so he closed the other two.  Mebh smiled and said, “Great, now, greenish-blue, dark blue or grey?” 

Hux’s brain told him to say grey.  It was the closest to black, which was the closest to his uniform.  However, the holo was a bluish colour, which made him consider the green one. 

Archie chimed in, “I like the green one.” 

Hux shrugged, “Green it is.  So how much-?”

“Not telling,” said Mebh. 

In about an hour they had chosen a shirt, a set of fitted trousers, and shoes.  Mebh even talked him into getting a coat, just in case he was somewhere with cool weather.  They were the first non-regulation clothes he’d ever owned and Hux had no idea how to feel, so his heart pounded as he hoped Mebh hadn’t spent ridiculous amounts of credits on them. 

She arranged all of the pieces they had bought, showing the complete outfit.  “I think dad will like it.  He’ll think you’re so cute.  So where are you going?” 

“Probably dinner…” Hux lied. 

Mebh looked at him for a moment before obviously sensing something and mirroring her brother’s earlier reaction, exclaimed, “O-Oh!  Sorry!”

“It’s alright,” said Hux.  “I didn’t think I should say it.” 

“No, it’s fine,” said Mebh.  Closing the holos of the outfits she asked, “So…what are we watching?” 

“TIE Fighters.  So how are your friends?” asked Hux. 

“Oh, it was fun!  We did a lot of cardio today and we were talking, and it was a lot of fun so we just decided to get some caf after,” explained Mebh.  She looked at Archie and said suggestively, “I told Dellaney I have a brother…” 

“Maybe some other time,” said Archie, starting up the holo. 

“It’s just caf, and it would get you out of your room,” said Hux. 

Archie sheepishly repeated, “Another time.” 

Hux nodded, “Alright.”   


End file.
